BAIL CONDITIONS FOR #ENDBADGOVERNANCE PROTESTERS TOO HARSH, SAYS GROUP
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One of the groups behind the #EndBadGovernance protests nationwide, the Take It Back Movement, has slammed the bail conditions imposed on 10 protesters by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The court set bail at ₦10 million for each of the 10 individuals.
Justice Emeka Nwite also ruled that each defendant must provide a surety of the same amount, and must be an Abuja resident and a property owner. The sureties must deposit the property documents with the court and swear an affidavit of means.
In the charge sheet marked FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024, the defendants were accused of “treason, destabilising the country, intimidating the President, and destroying the NCC in Kano,” among other charges.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, accused the protesters of conspiring to destabilise the country and committing treason between 1 July and 4 August 2024.
Reacting to the bail conditions, TIB’s National Coordinator, Sanyaolu Juwon, described them as “punitive and excessively stringent.”
Juwon said, “Today, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted bail to 10 #EndBadGovernance protesters charged with treason. While we acknowledge the decision to grant bail, the Take It Back Movement strongly condemns the excessively stringent conditions attached to their release.
“A ₦10 million bail and the requirement for sureties with properties worth that amount in Abuja is punitive and aimed at further oppressing peaceful citizens exercising their fundamental rights.”
He stressed that the protesters were advocating for good governance, transparency, and accountability—none of which are crimes under the constitution.
“Protest is not treason; it is a constitutional right,” he said.
Juwon also called for the release of the remaining 69 protesters who are still detained without formal charges on the orders of Justice Nwite.
“The continued detention of these individuals is a violation of their rights and an abuse of judicial authority,” Juwon said, adding that the charges against all the protesters should be dropped.
He concluded, “The Take It Back Movement demands that all charges against the protesters be dropped, and the Nigerian government immediately ceases its crackdown on lawful demonstrations. Our nation cannot progress if citizens are criminalised for speaking out against bad governance.”
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