The Federal High Court in Abuja has terminated the treasonable felony charges filed against 119 #Endbadgovernance protesters by the Inspector General of Police.
Trial court judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu struck out the charges on Tuesday at the resumed trial after the Attorney General of the Federation ,AGF, and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, withdrew the charges on behalf of the federal government.
Fagbemi, SAN, represented by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, DPPF, M.D Abubakar told the court during the proceedings that AGF in exercise of his power under section 174 of the 1999 Constitution has taken over the case from the Inspector General of Police.
Upon the grant of the request by Justice Egwuatu, the AGF proceeded to request for invocation of the same section of the Constitution to discontinue the trial of the 119 accused persons.
None of the lawyers representing the protesters/ defendants objected to AGF’s request . Consequently, Justice Egwuatu granted the request and struck out the charges.
None of the accused persons / protesters were in court, when the Judge ordered their immediate release from prison remand. However, minutes after the court rose from sitting the protesters were driven into the court premises in several Hiace buses. The freed youths sighted sign of relieve when it was communicated to them. They were elated after three months in remand custody.
The Inspector General of police had last month arraigned the 119 protesters the police arrested between August 1 and 10 , 2024 during the peak of EndBadGovernance protest from across the country but mostly from Kano , Kaduna and Abuja.
They were arraigned the judge on 10-count charge that borders on treasonable felony, rioting, destruction of public property, assaulting security officials, and looting/theft of public property, among others.
According to the charges, the protesters, allegedly acting in concert with Andrew Martin Wynee (aka Andrew Povish), a 70-year-old British citizen now at large, “called on the military to take over the government from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.
The Police also accused the defendants of inciting citizens to destabilise Nigeria through the protests to wage “war against the state”.
According to the charges, the protesters did this by attacking and injuring police officers and burning police stations, the High Court Complex, NCC Complex, Kano Printing Press, Government House Kano, Kaduna Investment and Promotions Agency Office, NURTW Office and “several other buildings”.
The police said the offence was contrary to section 410 of the Penal Code (Northern States) Federal Provisions Act.
Their arraignment last week sparked public condemnation after four minors collapsed in the court room and forced the judge to stood down arraignment for minutes to enable Correctional Centre officials administer first aid.
The ugly episode also attracted the intervention of the Attorney General of the Federation who asked for their case files .
Just on Monday, President Bola Tinubu directed the AGF to terminate the charges against the accused persons, most of who are minors, prohibited by law from facing such a trial in a regular court of competence jurisdiction.