BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday admitted Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye (aka Lenin) and nine other #EndBadGovernance protesters to bail in the sum of N10m.
Justice Emeka Nwite said after listening to arguments by the defence counsels led by Marshall Abubakar and Prosecution Counsel, S. A. Lough (SAN), he found reason to agree with the defence counsels to admit the defendants to bail and subsequently granted their applications.
Justice Nwite set the bail in the sum of N10m each with one surety each resident within the jurisdiction of the court.
Other conditions of the bail include the sureties being owners of landed property worth the sum of the bail and the sureties expected to deposit documents of such properties with the court along with their passports while defendants are refrained from any other rally or similar places during the course of their bail.
The Judge subsequently adjourned the case to 27 September, 2024 for hearing.
Justice Nwite had on Monday 3 September, 2024 remanded nine of the EndBadGovernance protesters in the Kuji Correctional Centre until September 11 while the only lady among them, Loveth Innocent was remanded at the Suleja Correctional Service.
The defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/ CR/454/2024 include Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye (aka Lenin): Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi; Suleiman Yakubu;Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo Simon (aka Sob-S!); Angel Love Innocent (aka Loveth); Buhari Lawal;Mosiua Sadiq;Bashir Bello (aka Murtala); Nuradeen Khamis
and Abdulsalam Zubairu.
The 10 defendants pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge preferred against them by the Inspector General of Police( IGP).
At their arraignment, lawyers to the defendants moved an oral application before the court for bail which was opposed by the prosecuting counsel, S. A. Lough (SAN), who argued that some of the charges carried with it capital punishment.
Justice Nwite had then adjourned to 11 September 2024, for ruling on thier bail applications.
The #EndBadGoveranceInNigeria protests, which commenced on August 1 and ended on 10, were in response to the economic hardship experienced by the citizens.
The IGP specifically accused the protesters of acting in concert and conspiring, with the intention to destabilize the country, to commit a felony, to wit: treason, between July 1 and August 4, 2024.
The IGP said the offence was contrary to Section 95 and punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code.
The IGP also said, “Between 1 July 2024 and 4 August 2024, at Karshi Abuja FCT, within the jurisdiction of this court, while acting in concert and with intent to destabilise Nigeria, (defendants) conspired together to commit felony, to wit: Inciting to mutiny and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 96 and punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code.”
The IGP added that the protesters, between July 1, 2024, and August 10, 2024, in Abuja FCT, Kaduna, Kano and Gombe, in collaboration with Andrew Wynne (aka Andrew Povich) a British Citizen, with the intent to destabilise Nigeria, waged war against the state in order to intimidate or overawe the President by attacking and injuring police officers and burning police stations, High Court Complex, NCC Complex, Kano Printing Press, Government House Karo, Kadama Investment and Promotions Agency office, NURTW office and several other buildings.
The IGP said the offence was contrary to Section 410 of the Penal Code (Northern States) Federal Provisions Act CAP P3 LEN 204.
Also, the defendants were accused of collaborating with Wynne, a British Citizen, with the intent to destabilise Nigeria, incited disaffection to the government by inciting public disturbance while carrying placards with the inscription ‘end bad government’ and several other inscriptions to incite disaffection to the government.
The IGP said they committed an offence contrary to Section 416 of the Penal Code (Northern States) Federal Provisions Act CAP P3 LFN 204.
