The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, granted bail to minors and other defendants charged with terrorism and treason in connection with the August #EndBadGovernance protests.
A total of 76 defendants looking malnourished and unkempt, including at least 28 minors aged below 18, were brought to court from detention for arraignment on Friday.
Apart from four of them, whose trial was suspended after they slumped in court on Friday, all the other defendants denied the 10 counts of treason, terrorism, treasonable felony and arson preferred against them by the Nigerian police.
Those adjudged to be adults among them were granted bail in stringent terms.
The judge, Obiora Egwuatu, in a ruling, granted bail of N10 million bond and one surety to each of the “adults.” The surety to be presented by each of them must be at least a Level 15 civil servant with verifiable address in Abuja.
For the underage defendants, the judge ordered, they only require their “parents or guardians” to stand as their sureties.
The judge subsequently ordered the remand of the adults in the Kuje Correctional Services and the minors in the Bostal Homes pending when they fulfill their bail conditions.
The court then adjourned until 24 January for trial.
The Metro Newspaper earlier reported how three minors and another defendant slumped in court on Friday.
The four defendants – Usman Fatihu (21 years), Muhammed Yahaya (14 years), Muktar Ishak Alhassan (16 years) and Mustapha Ibrahim (18 years) – slumped shortly after they were called into the dock to take their pleas.
The trial judge abruptly halted the proceedings at the turn of events. He went back to his chambers for calm to return to the courtroom, while the four persons were taken out for medical attention.
On his return from chambers after some minutes, the judge suspended the trial of the four individuals who slumped, saying they were “discharged till they’re medically fit.”
With the judge’s pronouncement, it means the minors will continue to face terrorism and treason charges when considered to be medically fit. This is despite the Child’s Rights Act expressly prohibiting the trial of underage children – persons below 18 years old – in regular courts and in the manner they are being prosecuted.
In August, Mr. Egwuatu ordered the remand of all of them, including at least 28 minors who are below the age of 18, in prison for two months, to enable the police to complete their investigations.
The documents filed by the police to seek the remand order stated the ages of the defendants. It showed at least 28 of them were underage, although observers said that from their looks, most of the defendants are likely to be minors.
The defendants were arrested in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Gombe in connection with the 10-day protest which was held in many parts of the country from 1 to 10 August. The protest turned violent, leading to deaths in some northern states.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, in the application for the detention order on 8 August, accused the detainees of “terrorism, treason, treasonable felony, arson, and other terrorism-related offences.”
The defendants, who have now been detained for about three months, were initially held in police cells before the police approached the court to obtain an order for their remand in August.
The detention of the defendants has drawn widespread condemnation for the police’s attempt to criminalize protest, and particularly the charging of minors by the police.
Protesters surged to the streets in major cities around the country between 1 and 10 August to protest against the economic hardship and bad governance in the country.
The protesters blamed the hardship on Mr. Tinubu’s economic policies underpinned by the removal of subsidies on petrol and floating of the naira.
The #EndBadGovernance protests sought the reversal of the policies.
