Court Approves Police Request to Detain 124 #EndBadGovernance Protesters for 60 Days

A Federal High Court in Abuja has approved a request from the Nigeria Police to detain 124 #EndBadGovernance protesters for 60 days while investigations are ongoing.

Justice Emeka Nwite granted the remand orders in separate rulings on ex-parte motions submitted by Ibrahim Mohammed, counsel for the Inspector-General of Police. The judge ruled that the suspects should be held until the investigation is completed. Additionally, the court ordered that any minors among the suspects be placed in Borstal Homes at correctional centers during the investigation period.

In the first motion ex-parte, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1154/2024 and moved by Mohammed on August 14, the court ordered the suspects to be detained for 60 days while awaiting the conclusion of the investigation and legal advice from the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF). This order was documented in a certified true copy (CTC) obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The Inspector-General’s motion, dated August 8 and filed on August 9, listed 75 protesters aged between 14 and 34 years. Among them were Abubakar Ibrahim (18), Suleiman Ali (16), and Abdulbasit Abdulsalam (34), among others. The protesters are accused of engaging in terrorism, treason, and related offenses, including arson and terrorism, under various sections of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, the Criminal Code Act, and other relevant laws.

The affidavit supporting the motion was sworn by Miss Elizabeth Ogochukwu, a Litigation Secretary at the Legal and Prosecution Section, Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Police Force Headquarters, Abuja. She stated that the IG’s office, through the National Security Adviser (NSA), had received credible intelligence about a planned violent uprising against the Nigerian government. The protest, which began on August 1, 2024, reportedly aimed to destabilize Nigeria’s political, economic, and social structures.

Ogochukwu also noted that the suspects were apprehended in Abuja and other states with Russian flags and other incriminating materials, though some suspects remain at large.

In a second ex-parte motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1223/2024, presented on August 21, Justice Nwite ordered another group of 49 defendants to be remanded for 60 days pending further investigation. The judge directed that any underage defendants also be placed in Borstal Homes and scheduled the case for mention on October 23.

The motion, filed by Mohammed, argued that the defendants were involved in financing terrorism with the goal of overthrowing the democratically elected government. Some of the named defendants include Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo, Michael Adaramuye, Musiu Sadiq, and Buhari Lawal, among others.