END BAD GOVERNANCE PROTEST: DISCONTINUE THE TRIAL AND DISCARD TREASON CHARGES, CDHR DECRIES
The federal government arraigned ten leaders of the EndBadGovernance protesters on Monday, 2nd September, before the Federal High Court in Abuja on different count charges range from treason, attempts to destabilise the country, intimidation of the President, and the destruction of some government properties in Kano. Some of the people arrested and currently being tried for August 1st to aug10th protest include Michael Adaramoye (also known as Lenin), Adeyemi Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaoluwa Simon, Angel Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello, Nuradeen Khamis, and Abdulsalam Zubairu. All of them pleaded not guilty to the six-count charges brought against them by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Nigerians have been reacting to the federal government decision to try the aforementioned personalities. One of whom is a renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Barrister Femi Falana. He condemned in totality the increasing use of treason charges against the protesters in general.
Falana spoke at a two-day international anti-corruption and climate change conference in Abuja on Tuesday he expressed deep concern over what he described as the “trivilisation” of treason, questioning the rationale behind charging citizens with treason simply for exercising their right to protest.
In the same development, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) charges the federal government to stop the trial of end bad governance protesters and discard all charges against them, including treasonable felony. The government should take responsibility for whatever happens during the ten days of the protest because it is the way and manner the government handled the economy that brought hunger and anger, which resulted in mass action.
The destruction of public properties that accompanied the ten day protests was a result of security apparatus failure and incompetence. Protesters can not raise private security personnel to guide against intruders and others who have ulterior motives. It is the duty of the security apparatus to fix them out and apprehended accordingly.
CDHR charges the federal government to apologise to Nigerian people for the inconveniences and intensify efforts to put things back on the right track. They should know that protest is a fundamental right of people and such, the people must be protected and not persecuted.
On the final note, CDHR demands unconditional release of all protesters currently facing trial at Abuja High Court and across the states.
E-Signed:
Comrade Debo Adeniran,
National President CDHR Nigeria.
Comrade Idris Afees Olayinka, National Publicity Secretary CDHR Nigeria.