The police have arraigned 19 suspects including 3 minors before Justice Aisha Mohammed Ali at the State High Court 10, Maiduguri, Borno State, for allegedly participating in the #EndBadGovernance protests in August.
This is coming a few hours after the president ordered the release of other minors in Abuja.
THE WHISTLER reports that the president caved in to pressure and directed that all the minors arrested and facing prosecution in court over their alleged involvement in the #EndBadGovernance protests should be released immediately.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents, in Abuja on Monday.
The minors were in police detention for over 90 days, and appeared hungry and sick, unable to stand when they were brought to court for arraignment last week.
Some of the minors aged 14 collapsed in court and were rushed to the hospital.
Amid accusations that the police treated them poorly in order to send a clear message to others to desist from protests, the police insisted anyone could stand trail for any offence.
The police insisted they were treated properly, accorded their rights and fed as required.
However, the police arraigned others in Maiduguri on Monday with the charge sheets showing that three of the defendants were minors between the age of 14 and 17 years respectively.
The defendants were arraigned by the Borno State Government in two separate charges bordering on treason and using social media to defame the state governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, and incite citizens against the state.
The minors, according the state prosecutions, were among the seven people that conspired to form a social media group “Zanga-zanga” (protest) on Whatsapp and Tiktok, where they allegedly agreed to take arms against the state, which is punishable under Section 79 of the Borno State Penal Code Law, 2023.
Eleven of the defendants were accused of displaying the Russian flag in public, contrary to Section 42 and punishable under Section 76(b) of the Penal Code Law of the state.
When the charges were read to the defendants, they all pleaded not guilty.
The defence council, Barrister Yakubu Alhaji Adamu, called for an accelerated hearing, pointing out that the accused had already spent over 90 days in police detention.
He told the court that, “It’s only when the accelerated hearing is given to this case that justice shall be given to these young people and minors arraigned before the court.
“By this, the case will be faster and judgement will be delivered within a short period of time. That is why we applied for it,” he said.
The judge, while adjourning the case to November 18, for the continuation of hearing, directed that the minors be taken to juvenile home.
He also directed that the adult defenders be remanded in prison till the next sitting.