Just in: Tensions rise in Abuja court over trial of #EndBadGovernance protesters

DDM News

Tempers flared at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, June 25, during the ongoing trial of eleven young Nigerians arrested during the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) reports that the courtroom atmosphere turned tense when Ibrahim Mohammed, counsel to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, requested an adjournment.

He explained to Justice Emeka Nwite that he had just taken over the case and needed time to prepare.

The request immediately drew strong objections from defence lawyers, who accused the prosecution of deliberately delaying the court trial.

Deji Adeyanju, a human rights lawyer representing some of the defendants, condemned the move, describing it as another episode in a series of prosecutorial delays.

“These are poor Nigerians who protested against bad governance and have suffered enough,” Adeyanju told the court, urging the judge to strike out the charges.

He also called for financial compensation to ease the hardship endured by the accused since their arrest.

Another defence counsel, Abubakar Marshall, expressed disappointment that the case was being revisited after previous commitments by state authorities to drop the charges.

He stated that both the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) had informed them that the matter had been concluded and all charges would be withdrawn.

Marshall called for a compensation of ₦500,000 for each defendant, insisting that the prosecution had no case.

Other defence lawyers echoed the same sentiments and demanded that the case be dismissed without further delay.

In a sharp rebuttal, prosecuting counsel Ibrahim accused the defence team of appealing to emotion rather than law, a remark that reignited courtroom tensions.

Justice Nwite, after restoring order, emphasized the need for fairness and proper hearing.

He warned the prosecution that failure to present its case at the next hearing would result in the case being struck out.

“We will only adjourn this matter on the condition that if, on the next adjournment, they are unable to go on with this matter, the case will be struck out,” the judge ruled.

The case was subsequently adjourned to October 9, 2025.

The eleven defendants, Akande Daniel, Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, Angel Love Innocent, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Buhari Lawal, Bashir Bello, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaoluwa Eleojo Simon, Nuradeen Khamis, and Abdulsalam Zubairu, are facing charges of treason, conspiracy to commit felony, and inciting mutiny.

They were among many Nigerians arrested during protests held between August 1 and 10, 2024, to demand an end to widespread corruption, economic hardship, and insecurity.

The protest, inspired by the 2020 #EndSARS movement, saw thousands of young Nigerians take to the streets.

According to Amnesty International, at least 24 protesters were killed, and over 1,200 were arrested across the country, including minors.

Calls for the unconditional release of those detained have continued, with civil rights groups urging the government to address the root causes of the protest rather than criminalize civic expression.

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