Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed treason charges filed against #EndBadGovernance protesters. The charges were withdrawn by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi SAN, acting on behalf of the federal government.
During the hearing on November 5, the Director of Public Prosecutions, M.D. Abubakar, represented Fagbemi, informing the court of the AGF’s authority under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to assume control of the case from the Inspector General of Police. After assuming the case, the AGF requested that the charges against the 150 protesters be dropped under the same constitutional provision.
Justice Egwuatu granted this request with no objections from the defense lawyers and ordered an end to the proceedings, dismissing all charges. Although the protesters were not present in court, the judge ordered their immediate release from custody.
The case withdrawal follows a directive from President Bola Tinubu, instructing the AGF to terminate the charges. Reports indicate that many of the protesters involved are minors, who are legally protected from such prosecutions.
