By Stanley Onyekwere
An Abuja Magistrate court sitting in Wuse Zone 2 has ordered for the remand of six protesters allegedly involved in the recent resumption of the controversial #EndSARS protests in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The protesters, Oluwatoyin Adeniji, Yashidu Bashiru, Abdulsalam Zuberu, Kabiru Kazali, Paul Akinwumi and Chomo, who were arraigned on a five-count charges, all pleaded not guilty to the offences.
Consequently, Presiding Magistrate, Abdulrazak Eneye who refused to grant the accused persons bail after oral bail application by their lawyer, ordered for their remand in any correctional facility in Abuja, till a proper written is made.
However, the Magistrate who adjourned the case till January 25, 2021 for proper hearing, also hinted that offence of such magnitude carry a maximum punishment of three years jail term.
Earlier, the prosecutor, John Ijegbami, informed the court that protesters were guilty of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, inciting the public, public disturbances and public nuisance.
Ijegbami, revealed that FCT Police Command brought them for arraignment after their arrest, following convergence at the gate of the National Assembly Complex to resume the suspended #EndSARS protest.
The Police Prosecutor argued that the not all misdemeanour offences were bail-able, especially when such offence borders on national security
While the defending counsel, Tope Akinyode, urged the court to grant the protesters bail, which was refused by the court, despite insisting that the offence were mostly that of misdemeanour.
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