The Nigerian government is set to arraign 76 individuals who participated in the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests, with the majority of them being minors. This development comes 80 days after the protests, which took place between August 1 and 10, 2024, across various parts of the country, as Nigerians expressed their discontent over governance issues.
Activist lawyer Deji Adeyanju raised the alarm, revealing that 66 of the 76 protesters are minors. He announced that the protesters are scheduled to appear before Hon. Justice Egwuatu at the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 1, 2024.
Adeyanju, in a statement on Friday, criticized the prolonged detention of the protesters, describing it as an abuse of power by the government. He expressed his concerns about the situation, labeling the current administration as “clueless” in handling such matters.
"After detaining End Bad Governance protesters for almost 80 days, the clueless Tinubu government is set to arraign more protesters, who are largely minors, as can be seen on the charge herein annexed, on November 1st in Abuja," Adeyanju stated. He further stressed that these minors should not be facing legal consequences for exercising their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly.
The protests, which were widespread in August, saw thousands of Nigerians taking to the streets to demand better governance and accountability from the authorities. Since then, there have been numerous reports of protesters being detained, with lawyers working to secure their release.
This impending arraignment has sparked concern among civil society organizations and rights activists, who have consistently advocated for the release of all detained protesters.
