Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted bail to ten #EndBadGovernance protesters on Wednesday who had been arrested and detained on charges including treason.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite emphasized that Nigeria’s criminal justice system provides guidelines for both prosecutors and defendants. He noted that the evidence presented by the defendants indicated that they were merely participating in a protest.
Justice Nwite concurred with the argument made by the counsel for the 1st, 2nd, and 4th defendants, Abubakar Marshall, affirming that anyone charged with a criminal offense must be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Consequently, he granted bail to the defendants.
He stated, “I have carefully considered the counsel’s submission on both divides. I at this moment grant the defendants bail not withstanding the crime.
“The bail is hereby granted to the defendants applicant in the sum of N10m each and one surety in like some”.
The court ruled that the sureties must be residents of Abuja and own property there. They are required to submit property documents to the court registrar and provide affidavits of means. Additionally, the defendants and their sureties must deposit their international passports and three recent passport photographs with the court registrar.
Justice Nwite ordered that the defendants be returned to prison until they meet the bail conditions. He also directed that the defendants refrain from participating in any public rallies or protests during their trial and set September 27 as the date for the trial to begin.
The defendants are Michael Adaramoye, also known as Lenin; Adeyemi Abayomi; Suleiman Yakubu; Comrade Opaluwa Simon; Angel Innocent; Buhari Lawal; Mosiu Sadiq; Bashir Bello; Nurudeen Khamis; and Abduldalam Zubair.
They face six counts including alleged treason, intent to destabilize Nigeria, conspiracy to commit a felony, and inciting mutiny, offenses punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code. The charges also include allegations of attempting to forcibly enter a government facility, setting fire to a police station, and injuring police officers.
The Federal Government accuses them of inciting the public against the government and causing damage to several public properties, including police stations, the High Court complex, and National Communication Commission facilities.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges filed by the Inspector General of Police.
