The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Intelligence, Dasuki Galadanchi, disclosed this at the just-ended Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
The DIG revealed that 126 individuals, apprehended for waving the Russian flag and advocating for a regime change during the protest, will be charged to court today.
The protest, which spiraled into violence resulting in deaths and the looting of both public and private properties in various states, led to these arrests.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana is set to lead a team of lawyers in defending the protesters before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
These protesters were detained following a nationwide demonstration from August 1-10 against the hardship attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policies on petrol subsidy removal and currency floatation.
Meanwhile, a group of detained protesters has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to overturn its earlier order allowing the police to detain them for two months.
On August 22, Justice Nwite granted the police’s request to remand 124 protesters for 60 days pending the conclusion of investigations.
Amnesty International Nigeria has condemned the mass trials of the #EndBadGovernance protesters, calling it a travesty of justice and the rule of law.
The organization highlighted that over 1,000 protesters remain in custody nationwide and demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) echoed this sentiment, urging the government to release the detained protesters without conditions.
In an interview with Daily Trust, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, expressed deep concern that the upcoming trials would serve only to further the government’s agenda of punishing and demonizing peaceful protesters.
“We condemn the sham trials even before they began and call for an end to these endless bizarre attempts to deprive people of the right to peaceful protest. What is going to happen to these protesters, who took to the streets last month seeking good governance, is a disguised exercise solely aimed at punishing dissenters,” Sanusi said.
He called on the Nigerian authorities to release all those arrested for exercising their right to peaceful assembly and criticized the government for prioritizing the punishment of protesters over investigating the deaths and other violations that occurred during the protests.
“The Nigerian government has been wrongfully placing priority on punishing detained protesters, without saying even a word on the urgent need to investigate the killing of dozens of protesters across Kano, Katsina, Suleja/Tafa, Jigawa and Maiduguri. Many protesters were subjected to many other violations by security personnel, including excessive use of force,” Sanusi said.
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