Lawyers and civil society organisations, CSOs, yesterday, decried the continued detention and incarceration of #EndBadGovernance protesters two months after the August 1-10 protests across the country.
Vanguard reports that as of last night, most of the detained protesters are yet to be prosecuted, with minors among those held in captivity in Police, Department of State Service, DSS, facilities or prisons.
Although some minors, who were arrested during the protest, have been released on bail, others are in the process of being granted bail, Vanguard’s checks showed.
In Nasarawa State for instance, of the 50 protesters arrested, 10 minors have been freed, while 40 adults have been charged to court, according to Police PRO, DSP Ranhan Nansel.
In Sokoto where 109 protesters were arrested, Attorney-General of the state, Nasiru Binji, said a significant number had been released on bail, while the rest were in prison custody.
Similarly, in Kaduna State, six of those arrested have been freed on the order of the Director-General of the DSS, Adeola Ajayi, while three others have been charged to court.
The situation in Kano State is alarming, as no fewer than 600 protesters (including 76, who displayed Russian flags) were arrested and later transferred to Police Force headquarters in Abuja. While it was gathered that many of them have been charged to court and bailed, the number of those still in detention could not be ascertained at press time.
The Director of Public Prosecution, DPP in Kano State Ministry of Justice, Salisu Tahir, said they were still compiling the details.
However, in Jigawa State, of the 419 protesters arrested, 390 have been arraigned in court, as 29 have been released, according to Police PRO DSP, Lawan Adam.
In Zamfara, the Police PRO, Yazid Abubakar, said nine protesters had been charged to court, but said he does not know if they were detained or granted bail by the court.
In Borno, 97 protesters were arrested during the protest but their condition remains unclear at the time of this report.
In Yobe, of the 51 arrests made during the protest, 35 have been sent to Potiskum Prison, while the rest are being detained by the police. The minors among them, are to be freed on bail.
In Niger State, 23 persons were arrested, out of which six have been arraigned and sentenced to jail terms, while 17 are in police custody.
In the Federal capital territory, FCT, Abuja, no fewer than 1,100 were arrested, but only 10 have been arraigned.
Additionally, the hundreds of Northern youths who brandished Russian flags during the protests have not been arraigned, neither has the tailor who mass-produced and distributed the flags.
Those on trial for participating in the protest are Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo Simon, Angel Love Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello, Nurudeen Khamis and Abduldalam Zubair.
Trial Justice Emeka Nwite remanded the defendants in prison custody, pending the perfection of their bail conditions.
The 51 protesters who were arrested in Plateau State for breaching the law on curfew but not on hunger strike, have all been freed.
There were, however, no arrests in Benue, Taraba, Kebbi, Adamawa, Kwara and Kogi states, as many of the states adopted some strategies to prevent their citizens from joining the protests.
State detainees
Sokoto — 109
Jigawa — 390
Niger — 23
Nasarawa — 40
Yobe — 51
FCT, Abuja — 1,090
Borno — 97
Kaduna — 3
Zamfara — 9
Kano — 600
Total 2,412
