Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday granted bail to 76 #EndBadGovernance protesters, totalling N760 million with two sureties for each defendant.
The judge ordered that one of the sureties must be a Level 15 public servant and the other a defendant’s parent.
He also directed the sureties to submit their letters of latest promotion, letters of appointment, forms of identity, and confirmed addresses to the court.
Furthermore, the sureties were required to deposit their international passports with the court registrar, together with passport images, and swear an affidavit of means.
Justice Egwuatu stated, “The defendants are granted bail in the sum of N10 million each, with two sureties in like sum. One of them must be a Level 15 civil servant and the other a parent to the defendant.”
Olukayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police, charged the defendants with treason and instigation to mutiny for asking the military to remove President Bola Tinubu, among other things.
All 76 suspects pleaded not guilty. Earlier, as the defendants were led into the courtroom, four of them—the 8th, 66th, 69th, and 49th defendants—collapsed while walking to the dock.
They lay on the floor in pain, prompting lawyers and jail authorities to help them leave.
Justice Egwuatu, watching the incident, briefly left the courtroom and returned shortly afterwards.
Prosecuting attorney Audu Garba reminded the court that the matter had been scheduled for arraignment, noting that some defendants were waiting outside due to limited courtroom space.
Justice Egwuatu insisted on creating space to accommodate all defendants. The prosecution asked the court to strike out the names of the four unwell defendants and release them until they could recover and return.
Marshall Abubakar, their defence counsel, filed an appeal for their release and acquittal, noting their poor condition and lack of sustenance during the previous three days.
The prosecution said that the accused had received proper treatment since their incarceration in August 2024. However, the prosecution did not oppose their bail application and left it to the court’s discretion.
As a result, the court released the four sick defendants (Umar Yunusa, Usman Suraju, Musa Isiyaku, and Abdul Ganiu) pending their recuperation but refused to acquit them.
Justice Egwuatu ordered that adult defendants be imprisoned at Kuje Correctional Centre until their bail terms were met, while juveniles under the age of 18 be transported to Gwagwalada Borstal Centre.
After hearing arguments from both parties, Justice Egwuatu delayed the case until January 24 for a substantive hearing.
The 76 defendants, detained in Abuja, Kaduna, Gombe, Jos, Katsina, and Kano, were protesting economic hardship. Thirty-two of them are minors aged fourteen to seventeen.
The charges include conspiracy to commit treason, with Count One alleging, “Between 31 July 2024 and 4 August 2024, at Abuja FCT and Kano metropolis within the jurisdiction of this court, while acting in concert and with intent to destabilise Nigeria, conspired together to commit felony to wit: treason, contrary to Section 96 and punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code.”
Following the hearings, another 43 demonstrators appeared in court on similar counts. Only 42 defendants appeared, as one was ill and granted administrative bail. The judge granted bail to the 43 under the same conditions as the 76 protestors.
