UPDATED: Court Strikes Out Suit Against 119 Hunger Protesters

A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit against 119 persons, including minors, arrested in connection with the 10-day nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest in August.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu struck out the case following an application by the counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation, M.D Abubakar, to discontinue the case against the protesters.

At the session on Tuesday, Abubakar prayed the court to allow the AGF take over the matter.

The development came after President Bola Tinubu on Monday ordered the release of all minors held in custody in relation to the protest.

On Friday, Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted bail to the tune of N10m each to 114 persons arraigned for participating in the protests. The defendants were also asked to provide two sureties in like sum.

In two separate suits, the protesters in two groups of 76 and 43 persons were accused of treason and treasonable felonies, as well as trying to overthrow the government.

However, only 72 and 42 persons were arraigned in court, with 5 persons left out due to illness.

According to the charge sheet sighted by THE WHISTLER, the 76 persons arrested in Abuja, Kano and Kaduna, among others, include 32 minors between the ages of 14 and 17.

In the suit marked; FHC/ABJ/CS/503/2024 filed on September 25, through their lawyer, Simon Lough, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the police said the protesters “acting in concert and with intent to destabilize Nigeria conspired together to commit Felony to wit: Treason and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 96 and punishable under section 97 of the Penal Code.”

The Federal Government accused them of conspiring with wanted British citizen, Andrew Martin Wynne (aka Andrew Povich) to incite the public against the government and disturbing public peace with their chants and riots.

They were also accused of conspiring with police to wage war against the state in order to intimidate the president by attacking and injuring police officers and burning police stations, a High Court Complex, NCC Complex, Kano Printing Press, Government House Kano, Kaduna Investment and Promotions Agency office, NURTW office and several other buildings.