On Monday, the Federal Government arraigned 10 #EndBadGovernance protesters before a federal high court in Abuja, charging them with treasonable felony, an offense that carries the death penalty. The protesters, who were arrested in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, and Gombe, are accused of planning to destabilize Nigeria.
The defendants, identified as Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye (aka Lenin), Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi (aka Yomi), Suleiman Yakubu, Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, Angel Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello (aka Murtala), Nuradeen Khamis, and Abdulsalam Zubairu, pleaded not guilty to the six counts filed against them. They were brought to the court under tight security.
The protesters have challenged the legality of their arrest and detention, arguing that their right to protest is constitutionally protected. In a lawsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1233/2024, they contested the August 22, 2024, order by Justice Emeka Nwite, which allowed the Inspector General of Police to detain them for 60 days pending the completion of investigations.
The defendants, represented by a team of lawyers led by human rights lawyer Femi Falana, claimed that the motion ex-parte used to justify their remand was based on misrepresentation of facts and amounted to an abuse of court process. They are seeking to have the ex-parte order vacated and are also requesting bail.
The case has drawn significant attention, as the protesters argue that their rights to life, dignity, health, and freedom of movement have been violated by the authorities without justification.
