Federal High Court Grants Bail to 10 #EndBadGovernance Protesters Amidst Treason Charges
The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to 10 #EndBadGovernance protesters charged with treason, intimidation of the president, incitement to mutiny, destabilisation of the country and other crimes, at N10 million each.
According to PUNCH, Justice Nwite ordered the defendants to provide the bail sum of N10 million and one surety in like sum on Wednesday.
“I have carefully considered the submission of the counsel on both divides. I hereby grant the defendants bail notwithstanding the crime,” Justice Nwite said.
“The bail is hereby granted to the defendants applicant (sic) in the sum of N10m each and one surety in like some.”
In the case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024, the court also demanded that the defendants refrain from participating in further protests or rallies.
In the charge filed against them by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), they were accused of attempting to start a war, as well as setting fire to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) building in Kano, the Kano Printing Press, the Kano government house and other buildings.
However, the 10 defendants, one woman and nine men, pleaded not guilty to these charges.
On September 2, Justice Nwite ordered the remand of the protesters at the Kuje Correctional Centre and the Suleja Correctional Centre after the prosecution accused them of planning to overthrow the federal government.
The judge had ordered the protesters’ detention after Simon Lough, the prosecutor, opposed bail applications even though the 10 defendants had pleaded not guilty to all six charges filed against them by the Nigerian police.
The defendants are Michael Adaramoye (Lenin), Adeyemi Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaoluwa Simon, Angel Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello, Nuradeen Khamis and Abdulsalam Zubairu.
Justice Nwite adjourned the case until September 27.
FIJ reported on August 26, how the Federal High Court in Abuja granted an August 8 motion for the remand of no fewer than 75 Nigerians accused of attempting to overthrow the government through their #EndBadGovernance protest participation.
FIJ’s report revealed that at least 22 of the names on the motion were children below 18.
The #EndBadGovernance protest took place between August 1 and August 10. It was a nationwide protest against economic hardship stemming from President Bola Tinubu’s policies.
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