On Friday, a Federal High Court in Abuja granted bail to 114 protesters involved in the #EndBadGovernance protests, setting the amount at N10 million each, contingent upon the provision of two sureties for each defendant, also in the same sum.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu approved the bail after considering the defense lawyers’ request alongside the prosecution’s arguments.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that two separate sets of charges were presented before Justice Egwuatu.
In the first ten-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/503/2024, 76 defendants were listed. The second, a four-count charge, FHC/ABJ/CR/527/2024, included 43 defendants, totaling 119. However, only 114 were arraigned due to the poor health of five children among the accused.
NAN previously reported that four of the defendants in the first charge collapsed during the court proceedings. These individuals—Usman Fatihu (21), Muhammed Yahaya (14), Muktar Ishak Alhassan (16), and Mustapha Ibrahim (18)—were the 68th, 74th, 75th, and 76th defendants respectively in the charges related to treason and other offenses.
This situation prompted Judge Egwuatu to pause the trial for approximately 40 minutes before reconvening.
Among the 43 defendants in the second charge, another individual faced health issues. Prosecution lawyer Audu Garba requested that the court discharge five defendants due to their medical conditions, assuring that they would be re-arraigned once they had recovered.
After the police lawyer’s application, Justice Egwuatu struck these names from the charges.
Upon the reading of the charges to the first 72 defendants, they pleaded not guilty, allowing their legal team to apply for bail. The prosecution established that granting bail was within the court’s discretion, irrespective of applicable laws.
In his ruling, Judge Egwuatu noted that some defendants were minors and recognized the defendants’ lawyers’ commitment not to disrupt the trial or tamper with evidence. The prosecution did not oppose the bail application.
Justice Egwuatu, granting each defendant N10 million bail, mandated they provide two sureties each—one being a civil servant and the other a parent or sibling. He ordered the adult defendants to be held at Kuje Correctional Centre, while the minors would be placed in the Borstal Home of the Correctional Service.
The judge then adjourned the case until January 24, 2025, for trial commencement.
In the second arraignment, the 42 protesters similarly pleaded not guilty to the four counts against them and were granted the same bail conditions of N10 million each, with two sureties. The trial was adjourned until January 24, 2025.
In the ten-count charge, Nura Ibrahim (24) and 75 others, aged between 14 and 30, were accused of conspiring with Briton Andrew Martin Wynne to destabilize Nigeria. They were alleged to have attacked and injured police officers, as well as set fire to police stations, the High Court Complex, and the Nigeria Communication Commission offices in Kano. They also faced charges for burning the Kaduna Investment and Promotions Agency office and the NURTW office.
NAN reported that the protests began on August 1, demanding good governance, and concluded on August 10.
Previously, the Inspector-General of Police had charged 11 of the protesters before Justice Emeka Nwite of a sister court on allegations of treason, conspiracy to commit felony, and inciting mutiny—offenses carrying penalties under Section 97 of the Penal Code.
The protests led to arrests in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Gombe, resulting in violence and fatalities across the country.
