Court Approves Police Request To Extend Detention Of 124 #EndBadGovernance Protesters

Court Approves Police Request To Extend Detention Of 124 #EndBadGovernance Protesters

The Nigeria Police Force has obtained court approval to detain 124 individuals arrested during the #EndBadGovernance protest, extending their remand for 60 days while the investigation is ongoing.

Ireporteronline  reports that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in a series of rulings in response to ex-parte motions submitted by Ibrahim Mohammed, the counsel for the Inspector-General of Police (I-G), authorized the interim detention of the suspects until the investigation is completed.

Justice Nwite mandated that the detained individuals, who are minors as per the applications, be held in the Borstal Home of the correctional facility until the investigation is concluded.

Regarding the first motion ex-parte, FHC/ABJ/CS/1154/2024, submitted by Mohammed on August 14, 2024, following a certified true copy (CTC) of the order received from NAN, the judge ordered the suspects’ remand for 60 days, pending the investigation’s completion and legal counsel from the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

The IG, in the motion dated Aug. 8 but filed Aug. 9, sued 75 protesters aged between 14 and 34 years.

They include Abubakar Ibrahim (18), Abubakar Adam (19), Suleiman Ali (16), Mubarak Mas’ud (23), Umar Musa (19), Aminu Hussaini (20), Umar Kabir (23), Ibrahim Musa (24), Abba Usman (30), Umar Inusa (18), Tasi’u Lawan (17), Ibrahim Rabi’u (16), and Jamilu Haruna (16).

The suspects also include Muktar Yahaya (17). Abdulbasit Abdulsalam (34), Salisu Adamu (16), Bilal Auwalu (15), Abdul’aziz Adam (15), Sadiq Sunusi (15), Muhd Musa (14), Usman Amiru (14), Abdulganiyu Musa (15), Muhd Yahaya (19), and Sunusi Nura (14), among others.

Ireporteronline  reports that the individuals were accused of engaging in acts of terrorism, treason, and treasonous felonies, which included arson and terrorism.

The authorities stated that these actions were in violation of Sections 2(1) and (3), 24 and 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022; Sections 41 and 42 of the Criminal Code Act; Sections 410, 411, and 412 of the Penal Code Act; and Section 4 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, among other relevant statutes.

Miss Elizabeth Ogochukwu, serving as the Litigation Secretary for the Legal and Prosecution Section of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, provided testimony in support of the motion.

She disclosed that the office of the Inspector General (IG) had received a highly credible intelligence report detailing a plot for a violent uprising against the government of both the states and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Ogochukwu stated that “the planned violent insurrection was believed to have been organized by terrorist groups, both within and outside Nigeria, with the intention of instigating terror against the sovereign states of Nigeria, with the scheduled commencement date being the 1st day of August 2015.”

She said, “Despite serious security measures intensified by the various law enforcement agencies, the planned protest took place as scheduled and seriously intimidated the populace and seriously destabilised or destroyed the fundamental, political, constitutional, economic, or social structures of some parts of Nigeria.

“That the violent protest causes death and bodily harm to citizens of the country and led to arson and wanton destructions of government or public and private facilities, transport systems, and infrastructural facilities in Nigeria.

“That the suspects were arrested in the actual act of rampage and reasonably suspected to be complicit in the crime, which calls for district investigations.

*That the suspects/defendants herein were found to have been carrying Russian flags, banners, placards, and slogans agitating for sovereign invasion of Nigerian territory to destabilise or overthrow the sovereign state of Nigeria by the Russian government.”

Suspects Arrested With Russian Flags

Ogochukwu disclosed that the suspects were apprehended in Abuja and various states, bearing numerous Russian flags and other evidence incriminating them, with some still at large.

She further stated that investigations into the matter had commenced, and the defendants had made voluntary statements, predominantly confessing to the crime, which led to suspicions of their affiliation with designated terrorist groups.

She mentioned that the investigators had to traverse various states to identify and capture the sponsors of this atrocious act for effective prosecution, a task that could not be completed within the constitutional timeframe, necessitating the application.

She emphasized the need for sufficient time to conduct a thorough investigation and seek legal counsel from the Attorney General’s Office, as many of the primary suspects remain at large.

Ogochukwu confirmed that the suspects had admitted to the commission of the crime.

She further reported that the suspects/defendants are currently detained in overcrowded police cells, which present significant health risks to the inmates and increase the likelihood of attacks or escapes.

Additionally, in the second ex-parte motion, marked as FHC/ABJ/CS/1223/2024, submitted by Mohammed on Thursday, Justice Nwite ordered the remand of 49 defendants for 60 days pending the conclusion of the investigation.

He declared, “This Honourable Court hereby issues an order for the defendants’ commitment to a correctional center pursuant to Section 299 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.”

The judge directed that the defendants under 18 years old be remanded at Borstal Home within the correctional center. The case was adjourned until October 23 for further discussion.

The motion, filed on August 20, was submitted on August 21.

In support of the application, the lawyer cited four reasons: the defendants were involved in the financing of terrorism with the aim of overthrowing a democratically elected government.

Mohammed claimed that the accused were aiding groups of dissatisfied individuals who were advocating for the recognition of a foreign country within Nigeria.

He further alleged that the accused conspired with individuals from foreign nations to seize control of the sovereign state, an act classified as a treasonable felony.

In the affidavit submitted in support of the ex-parte motion, Detective Gregory Woje, who was assigned to the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja, detailed in his statement that the initial investigation indicated that some individuals apprehended were being financed by certain financiers with the intention of causing chaos and damaging lives and property.

“That preliminary investigation further revealed that the financiers were sending money to recruit the indigents and other vulnerable individuals to carry banners and overthrow a democratically elected government.

“That preliminary investigation further reveals that some foreign nationals were the heads in the unscrupulous act of treasonable felony and promoting terrorism financing in Nigeria,” he averred.

Woje has stated that the actions of the accused individuals are comparable to criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, cyberstalking, and cyberbullying.

He further explained that it is the duty of the police to halt these activities by classifying the offenders as a single entity, thereby committing an offense against the collective.

Among the defendants listed are Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo, Michael Adaramuye, Musiu Sadiq, Buhari Lawal, Love Angel Innocent, Suleiman Yakubu, Yunusa Aliyu, Ahmad Nasir, Muhammed Sani, Iliyasu Anas, Abdullahi Sani, and Gaddafi Muhammed.

Additionally, the list includes Jibrin Abdulhakim, Mahmud Umar, Kabiru Rabiu, Aminu Muhammed, Sagir Hassan, Lukman Abubakar, and Ahmed Isah.

Other individuals involved in these cases are Abdullahi Abdulwahab, Hassan Muhammad, Abdullahi Salisu, Sabo Murtala, Fahad Ibrahim, Umar Yakubu, Zakari Yakubu, and Ahmed Haruna, among others, Ireporteronline understands.