The Nigerian police have commenced the trial of 1,135 protesters who were detained during the recent #EndBadGovernance protest, which called for better governance and accountability in the country.
According to information obtained by Punch, the protesters are facing various charges related to their participation in the protests..
Findings by Punch shows that arrested persons during the protest would be charged to court beginning from Monday (today).
On Sunday, the Yobe State Command revealed plans to arraign 108 individuals who were arrested for various offenses, including breaching the curfew during the hunger protest.
DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Yobe Command, mentioned that the suspects would be taken to court to face charges connected to their alleged roles in the protests.
According to Abdulkarim, many of the accused, who were initially arraigned on August 8, have denied the charges, prompting further legal proceedings scheduled for Monday (today).
“Monday, August 12, 2024 has been earmarked for the continuation of the case, where those facing charges will have the opportunity to either accept or contest the allegations.
“Should they choose to accept the charges, they will undergo a summary trial presided over by a judge at the Magistrate Court in Damaturu, Yobe State.”
In Kano, a total of 632 persons arrested for alleged destruction of property during the anti-hunger protest in the state and were remanded by a Kano State Mobile Court since last Tuesday will appear in court on August 19, The PUNCH learnt.
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Several public and private facilities, including the Kano State Printing Press, Nigerian Communications Commission, Kano State High Court and a number of vehicles parked within the premises were vandalised and looted.
The arrested persons were charged with criminal conspiracy, theft, unlawful assembly, inciting disturbance, trespass and mischief by fire.
In Gombe, 14 protesters out of the 111 suspects arrested were freed on Saturday 14 by a special court presided over by the Gombe State Chief Judge Justice Halima Mohammed.
The freed protesters, who were charged for unlawful assembly and other crimes, were initially arraigned within the Gombe Medium Custodial Centre on Friday but subsequently released on grounds of ill health and being underage.
Also, the Bauchi State Police Command confirmed the arrest of over 50 protesters in the state.
The state commissioner of police, Auwal Mohammed, stated this while giving an update on the protest in the state.
“More than 50 protesters, including women, have been arrested by the Bauchi State Police Command following the protest in the state capital,” he said.
The Katsina State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Abubakar Sadiq, told one of our correspondents that that first batch of protestesters – 64 of them – have been charged to court.
“Yes, we have charged them to court and the first batch was 64. They were all charged between Monday and Friday last week,” he said.
The Niger State Police command has revealed that 23 protesters, who were arrested in the state, were taken to the Niger State Criminal Investigation Department.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed that it arrested 97 individuals in the Maiduguri metropolises during the nationwide protest, which left four people and scores injured in the state.
The Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, who confirmed this to The PUNCH, said they are yet to fix a date for the suspects to be tried.
In the FCT, the police did not disclose the number of protesters arrested during the End Bad Governance protest. However, Amnesty International and the Civil Society Organisation, Enough is Enough, reported that over 50 protesters were detained across the Federal Capital Territory.
Efforts to reach FCT command spokesperson Josephine Adeh were unsuccessful, as calls to her phone went unanswered, and she had not yet responded to a message sent to her at the time of reporting.
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