The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has directed the Nigeria Police to transfer to his office the casefile of the 72 defendants charged with participating in the August #EndBadGovernance protests.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted bail of N10 million each to the defendants, some of whom are teenagers, on Friday, according to Persecondnews.
Fagbemi also directed the police to hand over the same to the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) by Saturday, November 2, 2024.
“I have further directed the DPPF to immediately put machinery in motion for consideration of the court to bring the adjournment date forward (an earlier date),” the AGF said.
Fagbemi also said: “There are some issues my office will need to look into regarding the matter to enable me to take an informed decision.”
The judge stipulated that each defendant must secure two sureties in the same amount. One of the sureties must be a civil servant at grade level 15 or higher, with a verifiable address within the court’s jurisdiction, while the other must be a parent of the defendant.
The court had originally set the arraignment date for 76 defendants, most of whom are minors.
During the proceedings, many of the children appeared ill and malnourished as they were called to take their pleas.
Due to space constraints, some minors were forced to stand outside the designated area, while four of them collapsed and had to be urgently escorted from the courtroom, prompting the judge to temporarily suspend proceedings until order was restored.
The prosecution requested the removal of the names of the four affected minors from the charges during the case’s resumed hearing.
The remaining defendants were arraigned and pleaded not guilty.
The 76 people, arrested in Abuja, Kaduna, Gombe, Jos, Katsina, and Kano states, are facing a three-count charge bordering on treason.
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