FG charges #endbadgovernance protesters to court

On Monday, the Federal Government presented 10 #EndBadGovernance protesters in court in Abuja. These individuals had been detained in various locations, including Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, and Gombe. They appeared before a federal high court in Abuja, facing serious charges of treasonable felony, which could result in the death penalty, as well as accusations of attempting to destabilize Nigeria. The defendants were escorted to the court under heavy security.

The defendants, who include Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye (also known as Lenin), Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi (also known as Yomi), Suleiman Yakubu, Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, Angel Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello (also known as Murtala), Nuradeen Khamis, and Abdulsalam Zubairu, pleaded not guilty to the six charges against them when they appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite.

The protesters had previously contested the legality of their detention, arguing that President Bola Tinubu had no authority to arrest them. They challenged the court order from August 22, 2024, issued by Justice Emeka Nwite, which allowed the Inspector General of Police to detain them for 60 days while investigations continue.

In their suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1233/2024, the protesters claimed that their arrest was unjust and that their rights to life, dignity, health, and freedom of movement had been violated by the police. They argued that protest is a constitutional right and pointed out that President Tinubu himself had previously participated in protests without facing harassment.

Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo and 48 others, through a motion filed on August 26, 2024, sued the Inspector General of Police, challenging the ex-parte order used to justify their detention. The motion, led by human rights lawyer Femi Falana, accused the police of misrepresenting facts to secure the remand order and requested that the court overturn the order and grant bail to the defendants.