Ten People Re-Arraigned over Alleged Treasonable Felony in Connection with #EndBadGovernance Protest
In a notable development, the Federal Government has re-arraigned 10 individuals arrested for their involvement in the #EndBadGovernance protest, which took place from August 1 to 10. The protesters allegedly committed treasonable felony by engaging in violent acts, resulting in killings and disturbances in various parts of the country.
The 10 defendants, who were earlier arraigned on September 2, pleaded not guilty to the six-count charges preferred against them. Their lawyers, however, claimed that the prosecution had failed to serve them with necessary documents, including proof of evidence and witness statements. They argued that the law requires the prosecution to seek the court’s permission to amend the charge.
Lead counsel for the prosecution, Simon Lough, urged the court to grant their application to substitute the previous charge with an amended eight-count charge. Lough claimed that the new charges were necessary to reflect changes in the investigation. Despite opposition from the defense teams, Justice Emeka Nwite granted the application, allowing the prosecution to read the amended charges to the defendants.
One of the defendants, Daniel Akande, a member of Solidarity Network for Workers’ Rights, was formally added to the case list. His lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, requested that his client be granted bail on liberal terms, which the court eventually granted. Akande will be required to provide N10 million bail with a surety in like sum and submit his international passport to the court registry.
The matter has been adjourned until October 4 for a ruling on the bail variation for defendants 3, 4, and 10. The trial is expected to commence on November 11.
The #EndBadGovernance protest was characterised by violence and instability, with reports of attacks on government buildings and injuries to security personnel.
