By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Tuesday, terminated the treason charges brought against the #Endbadgovernance# protesters brought by the Inspector General of Police(IGP)
The dismissal of the charges was following its withdrawal by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi SAN on behalf of the federal government.
Represented by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation DPPF M.D Abubakar, the AGF relied on section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to take over the case from the Inspector General of Police.
Subsequent to securing approval by the court, the AGF proceeded to request for invocation of the same section of the Constitution to discontinue the trial of the 114 accused persons.
Responding, counsel to the defendants raised no objections to the request, hence, Justice Egwuatu granted the request and struck out the charges and ordered their immediate release from prison remand.
President Bola Tinubu had on Monday directed the AGF to terminate the charges against the accused persons, most of who are said to be minors and prohibited by law from facing such trial.
The defendants were arraigned in two batches. The first batch of 72 defendants pleased not guilty to the ten-count charge, while the second batch of 43 defendant also pleaded 4-count charges brought against them by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024, they defendants were accused of collaborating with a British citizen named Andrew Martin Wynne to destabilize Nigeria and intimidate President Bola Tinubu by allegedly attacking and injuring police officers and burning police stations, the High Court Complex, the NCC Complex, and other locations
During the first batch arraignment, 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 and burned police stations, the High Court Complex, the NCC Complex, the Kaduna Investment and Promotions Agency office, and the NURTW office, similar to accusations leveled against ten protesters in another court.
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