Femi Falana (SAN) on Thursday released a list of protesters who were arrested by the Nigerian government and security operatives during the nationwide #Endbadgovernance protest.
News About Nigeria recalls that the nationwide protest against hunger and bad governance in the country was held from the 1st to the 10th of August, 2024.
The protest, which was in demonstration against the current hunger and economic hardship in the country, started peacefully in most parts of the country but escalated in places like Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Borno, and the FCT, among others.
There were reported cases of violence, looting of government and private properties, and in some cases loss of lives in these areas.
Giving details on the arrest of protesters, the Human Rights Activist and Lawyer revealed that 2,111 of them were arrested while 1,403 have been remanded in prison custody due to a lack of legal representation in court.
Falana therefore gave the breakdown of protesters arrested across the states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja in a statement titled, ‘Halt The Clampdown On Protesters.’
See the breakdown below:
1. Kano — 873
2. Jigawa — 403
3. Katsina – 120
4. Gombe — 111
5. Sokoto — 110
6. Borno — 99
7. Yobe — 90
8. Bauchi-60
9. Plateau — 51
10. Kaduna — 50
11. FCT — 50
12. Nasarawa — 40
13. Niger — 25
14. Zamfara — 19
15. Cross Rivers — 10
While calling for the release and arraignment of the detained and remanded protesters, Falana disclosed that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is willing to represent them in court but must be given prior notice to enable them to make arrangements for their defence.
“Whenever the suspects are going to be arraigned, they must be given adequate notice to be able to contact the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and their family members to make arrangements for their defence.”
