THE Nigeria Police Force has obtained court approval to detain 124 individuals arrested during the #EndBadGovernance protest, extending their remand for 60 days while the investigation is ongoing.
Trojan News reports that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in a series of rulings in response to ex-parte motions submitted by Ibrahim Mohammed, the counsel for the Inspector-General of Police (I-G), authorized the interim detention of the suspects until the investigation is completed.
Justice Nwite mandated that the detained individuals, who are minors as per the applications, be held in the Borstal Home of the correctional facility until the investigation is concluded.
Regarding the first motion ex-parte, FHC/ABJ/CS/1154/2024, submitted by Mohammed on August 14, 2024, following a certified true copy (CTC) of the order received from NAN, the judge ordered the suspects’ remand for 60 days, pending the investigation’s completion and legal counsel from the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The IG, in the motion dated Aug. 8 but filed Aug. 9, sued 75 protesters aged between 14 and 34 years.
They include Abubakar Ibrahim (18), Abubakar Adam (19), Suleiman Ali (16), Mubarak Mas’ud (23), Umar Musa (19), Aminu Hussaini (20), Umar Kabir (23), Ibrahim Musa (24), Abba Usman (30), Umar Inusa (18), Tasi’u Lawan (17), Ibrahim Rabi’u (16), and Jamilu Haruna (16).
The suspects also include Muktar Yahaya (17). Abdulbasit Abdulsalam (34), Salisu Adamu (16), Bilal Auwalu (15), Abdul’aziz Adam (15), Sadiq Sunusi (15), Muhd Musa (14), Usman Amiru (14), Abdulganiyu Musa (15), Muhd Yahaya (19), and Sunusi Nura (14), among others.
Trojan News reports that the individuals were accused of engaging in acts of terrorism, treason, and treasonous felonies, which included arson and terrorism.
The authorities stated that these actions were in violation of Sections 2(1) and (3), 24 and 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022; Sections 41 and 42 of the Criminal Code Act; Sections 410, 411, and 412 of the Penal Code Act; and Section 4 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, among other relevant statutes.
Miss Elizabeth Ogochukwu, serving as the Litigation Secretary for the Legal and Prosecution Section of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, provided testimony in support of the motion.
She disclosed that the office of the Inspector General (IG) had received a highly credible intelligence report detailing a plot for a violent uprising against the government of both the states and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Ogochukwu stated that “the planned violent insurrection was believed to have been organized by terrorist groups, both within and outside Nigeria, with the intention of instigating terror against the sovereign states of Nigeria, with the scheduled commencement date being the 1st day of August 2015.”
She said, “Despite serious security measures intensified by the various law enforcement agencies, the planned protest took place as scheduled and seriously intimidated the populace and seriously destabilised or destroyed the fundamental, political, constitutional, economic, or social structures of some parts of Nigeria.
“That the violent protest causes death and bodily harm to citizens of the country and led to arson and wanton destructions of government or public and private facilities, transport systems, and infrastructural facilities in Nigeria.
“That the suspects were arrested in the actual act of rampage and reasonably suspected to be complicit in the crime, which calls for district investigations.
*That the suspects/defendants herein were found to have been carrying Russian flags, banners, placards, and slogans agitating for sovereign invasion of Nigerian territory to destabilise or overthrow the sovereign state of Nigeria by the Russian government.”
