A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the case against 76 individuals charged in connection with the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest. Justice Obiora Egwuatu announced the decision after the Attorney General of the Federation’s counsel, M.D. Abubakar, filed a motion to take over and discontinue the proceedings.
Representing the Attorney General, Lateef Fagbemi, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, invoked the Attorney General’s powers under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to assume control of the case from the Inspector General of Police. Upon approving this request, Justice Egwuatu granted the subsequent request to discontinue the prosecution of the defendants, most of whom are minors and thus legally barred from such trials.
With no objections from the defense counsels, Justice Egwuatu struck out the charges and ordered the immediate release of the defendants, who were not present in court.
This ruling follows President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Attorney General on Monday to terminate proceedings against the defendants, highlighting a significant shift in the government’s approach to the protests that had sparked national attention.
