The Federal Government plans to arraign some of the organisers of the recent hunger protest before the Federal High Court in Abuja today (Monday).
In addition to the six counts filed by Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, the Federal Government listed a British citizen, Andrew Wynne, aka Andrew Povich, as a defendant.
The defendants were accused of “treason, destabilising the country, intimidating the President, and destroying the NCC in Kano,” among other things, in the charge sheet marked FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024.
The IG particularly accused the demonstrators of engaging in concert and conspiring to commit a criminal, namely treason, between July 1 and August 4, 2024, with the purpose of destabilising the country.
The #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests, which began on August 1 and ended on August 10, were a response to people’s economic distress.
According to numbers released by human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), 2,111 people were arrested on August 22, 2024, during the 10-day countrywide demonstration.
Falana noted that 1,403 of the apprehended individuals had been arraigned in court and remanded in prison due to a lack of legal representation.
In the charge sheet filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the Federal Government named the defendants as Michael Adaramoye (aka Lenin); Adeyemi Ahayomi (aka Yomi); Suleiman Yakubu; Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo; Angel Innocent; Buhari Lawal; Mosiu Sadiq; Bashir Bello (aka Murtala); Nursdeen Khamis; Abdulsalam Zubairu; Andrew Wynne (aka Andrew Povich); Lucky Obryan; and Comrade Musa Abdollahi.
The IG particularly accused the demonstrators of engaging in concert and conspiring to commit a criminal, namely treason, between July 1 and August 4, 2024, with the purpose of destabilising the country.
According to Egbetokun, the offence violated Section 95 and is punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code.
The IG also said, “Between 1 July 2024 and 4 August 2024, at Karshi Abuja FCT, within the jurisdiction of this court, while acting in concert and with intent to destabilise Nigeria, (defendants) conspired together to commit felony, to wit: inciting to mutiny and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 96 and punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code.”
The police chief added that the protesters, between July 1, 2024, and August 10, 2024, in Abuja FCT, Kaduna, Kano, and Gombe, in collaboration with Andrew Wynne (aka Andrew Povich), a British citizen, with the intent to destabilise Nigeria, waged war against the state in order to intimidate or overawe the President by attacking and injuring police officers and burning police stations, the High Court Complex, the NCC Complex, the Kano Printing Press, Government House Karo, the Kadama Investment and Promotions Agency office, the NURTW office, and several other buildings.
Egbetokun mentioned the offence was contrary to Section 410 of the Penal Code (Northern States) Federal Provisions Act CAP P3 LEN 204.
The defendants were also accused of collaborating with Wynne, a British citizen, with the intent to destabilise Nigeria, inciting public disturbance while carrying placards with the inscription ‘end bad government’ and several other inscriptions to incite disaffection with the government.
The IG stated that they violated Section 416 of the Penal Code (Northern States) Federal Provisions Act, CAP P3 LFN 204.
Juwon Sanyaolu, the National Coordinator for Take It Back, informed our correspondent on Sunday that the suspects would be arraigned today (Monday).
Furthermore, he added the protesters would be represented by Falana.
Sanyaolu said, “The mass trial of another set of the protesters in Kano and Abuja will commence tomorrow (Monday). Femi Falana will be representing them.”
Meanwhile, campaigners have petitioned the International Criminal Court and the US Embassy in Nigeria for the release of jailed #EndBadggovernment protestors.
However, in a copy of the petition received by our correspondent on Sunday, the activists, the majority of whom are based in the United States, emphasised that demonstrators are not the country’s adversaries.
The petition was signed by John Parker of the Harriet Tubman Centre for Social Justice in Los Angeles, CA; Sharon Black of Peoples Power Assembly in Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia, USA; Maggie Vascassenno of Women in Struggle in Los Angeles, CA; and Andrew Mayton of Youth Against War and Racism in Baltimore, USA, among others.
Sanyaolu said, “The mass trial of another set of the protesters in Kano and Abuja will commence tomorrow (Monday). Femi Falana will be representing them.”
