The Federal Government arraigned 10 protesters in Abuja court on Monday on a six-count charge bordering on treasonable felony and plot to destabilize the country,
The protesters, who were arrested in various locations during the #EndBadGovernance protest in July, appeared before a Federal High Court.
According to Persecondnews, there were heightened security protocols in and around the court.
During their arraignment, the defendants, who appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite, entered a plea of not guilty to each of the six counts filed against them.
The defendants are Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye (aka Lenin), Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi (a.k.a. Yomi), Suleiman Yakubu, Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, Angel Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello (a.k.a. Murtala), Nuradeen Khamis and Abdulsalam Zubairu.
The detained protesters challenged the legality of their arrests and detention, arguing that President Bola Tinubu overstepped his authority in ordering their arrests.
The protesters, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1233/2024, challenged the August 22, 2024, Federal High Court order issued by Justice Emeka Nwite that permitted the Inspector General of Police to remand them for 60 days pending the conclusion of the investigation in their case.
The protesters, in an affidavit deposed to by one Mr. Paul Ochayi, maintained that “protest is a right, and, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, had led protests in the past without being harassed, detained, or remanded.”
They contended that the police have unjustifiably violated their fundamental rights, including the right to life, human dignity, health, and freedom of movement, as a result of the security agencies’ actions.
The applicants, Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo and 48 others sued the Inspector General of Police as the sole respondent in a motion on notice filed on August 26 through a consortium of lawyers led by human rights lawyer Femi Falana.
In the motion on notice obtained by our correspondent, the applicants argued that the ex parte decision to approve their remand was based on the suppression and misrepresentation of material facts.
They argued that the motion ex-parte represents a clear misuse of the judicial process and requested that the court rescind, dismiss, or nullify the ex-parte order that authorized their 60-day remand in prison.
In addition, they requested that the court grant them bail.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International Nigeria has condemned the commencement of mass trials of #EndBadGovernance protesters, set to begin today in Abuja, Kano, and Kaduna, citing concerns over the fairness and legitimacy of the process.
Also, human rights attorney Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) revealed that the 10-day nationwide protests resulted in the arrest of no fewer than 2,111 people.
Falana stated that insufficient legal representation has resulted in the arraignment and imprisonment of 1,403 of those arrested.
Details later…
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