THE trial of nationwide protesters will begin in Abuja, Kano, Kaduna and Borno today, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Intelligence, Dasuki Galadanchi, has disclosed.
The DIG disclosed this at the just-ended Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
He said those to be charged to court today were 126 suspects who were arrested for waving the Russian flag and demanding regime change during the protest, which snowballed into violence that resulted in deaths and looting of private and public assets in some states.
A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, will lead other lawyers to defend the protesters before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The protesters had been arrested following the August 1-10 nationwide protest against the hardship in the country, which was believed to have been caused by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and currency floatation.
This is just as a group of detained #EndBadGovernance protesters yesterday urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to lift its order permitting the police to remand them for two months earlier this month.
Justice Nwite had, on August 22, granted applications filed by the police to remand 124 arrested #EndBadGovernance protesters for 60 days pending the conclusion of investigation.
Amnesty International Nigeria yesterday described the planned mass trial of hundreds of protesters arrested during the nationwide #EndBadGovrnance protest as a mockery of justice and rule of law.
It had said over 1,000 protesters were in custody nationwide and demanded their unconditional release.
Similarly, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) had, on Thursday, called for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained protesters.
In an interview with this newspaper, Isa Sanusi, Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, said the organisation was deeply concerned that the protesters to be arraigned today would only be subjected to another round of government’s unrelenting intent to punish protesters and demonise protests.
