Ten protesters who are charged with intimidating President Bola Tinubu’s administration by allegedly damaging government facilities have each been given N10 million bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja. This brings the total amount of bail awarded to N100 million.
Judge Emeka Nwite granted the bail on September 11, 2024, the day the decision was originally due to be made.
Ten Nigerians were charged on September 2, 2024, before the Federal High Court in Abuja, with various charges related to the countrywide #EndBadGovernance protest, according to a charge sheet that was read to Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye and nine other individuals.
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According to the charge sheet marked FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024, the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP) counsel, Simon Lough SAN, accused the ten defendants and others now at large of working with Wynne (aka Andrew Povich) with the intent to destabilize Nigeria and intimidate the president by allegedly attacking and injuring police officers, burning police stations, and damaging the High Court Complex and NCC Complex, among others, in Abuja FCT, Kaduna, Kano, and Gombe.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and seized the moment to request bail on liberal terms.
Abubakar Marshal, counsel to some of the defendants, opposed the remand of his clients orally. He argued that, no matter how heinous a crime, a presumption of innocence still applies until proven otherwise. Other lawyers aligned with his submission, citing the pregnancy of one of the women and the health conditions of other defendants.
Simon Lough opposed the bail application, stating that the court’s discretionary powers should be used judiciously and in accordance with the law.
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The judge subsequently fixed today, September 11, for the ruling.
At the resumed proceedings on Wednesday, Nwite agreed with the defendants’ submissions regarding the bail application.
He approved a N10 million bail and one surety in like sum for each defendant. He ruled that the sureties must own landed property in Abuja and produce documents of the property to the court.
