A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted a N10 million bail bond each to 114 protesters (including adults and minors) accused of burning police stations, the high court complex, and the National Communications Commission (NCC) complex during the July #EndBadGovernance protests.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted the defendants bail on Friday after hearing from their lawyers and that of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
These new defendants are in addition to ten defendants in suit no. FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024 before another court, who were accused of collaborating with a British citizen named Andrew Martin Wynne to destabilize Nigeria.
They also allegedly attacked, injured, and set fire to police stations, the High Court Complex, the NCC Complex, and other locations in an attempt to intimidate President Bola Tinubu.
At the first arraignment proceedings on Friday, Nura Ibrahim (24 years old) and 75 others (ages ranging from 14 to 30) were accused of acting in concert with Andrew Martin Wynne to destabilize Nigeria.
They were alleged to have attacked and injured police officers, burnt police stations, the High Court Complex, the NCC Complex, the Kaduna Investment and Promotions Agency office, and the NURTW office, similar to accusations levelled against 10 protesters in another court.
The prosecution’s counsel, Mr. Audu Garba, asked the court to discharge four of the defendants who had fallen ill in court, promising to rearraign them after their recovery from medical treatment.
Justice Egwuatu ruled that since the charges against the four defendants had been withdrawn by the prosecution, “their names are struck out.”
After reading the 10-count charge to the defendants, Persecondnews reports that they entered a not guilty plea, enabling their legal team to request bail.
The prosecution stated that bail remained within the discretionary purview of the court, irrespective of relevant laws.
In ruling on the bail, Justice Egwatu noted that some of the defendants are under 18 years old, and the defendants’ lawyers had promised not to interfere with the trial or destroy evidence.
He also noted that the prosecution did not contest the defendants’ submissions.
“The defendants are granted bail in the sum of N10 million each,” the judge said, directing the defendants to provide sureties in a like sum, which must include a civil servant and their parent or sibling.
He ordered the adults to be remanded at Kuje Correctional Service, while the minors would be remanded in the Borstal Home of the Correctional Service.
The case has been adjourned to January 24, 2025, for hearing.
In the second arraignment of 42 protesters, the same judge equally granted N10 million bail to each of them, along with two sureties of the same amount.
The charges against the protesters across several Federal High Courts are led by the IGP’s counsel, Mr. Simon Lough (SAN).
The IGP holds the view that cases of conspiracy, treason, incitement to mutiny, incitement of disaffection against the government, terrorism, and other related offences should not be condoned.
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