Civil rights group Amnesty International slammed the federal government over the remand of 10 protesters at the Kuje Correctional centre yesterday (Monday).
According to the group, one of the protesters that was remanded in the prison is a pregnant woman identified as Angel Innocent.
News About Nigeria earlier reported that on Monday, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the prison remand of 10 activists arrested in connection with the #EndBadGovernance protest against hunger and bad governance in the country.
Justice Nwite had ordered that the defendants, including a pregnant woman, Angel Innocent, be remanded in Kuje and Suleja correctional centres till September 11 for the hearing of their bail applications.
Apart from the pregnant woman, others remanded in prison are; Michael Adaramoye, alias Lenin; Adeyemi Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaluwa Simon, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello, Nuradeen Khakis and Abdusalam Zubairu.
The Judge’s decision to remand the protesters follows the allegations slammed on them by the police who had arraigned them on six counts, bordering on treason and conspiracy to incite mutiny with the intent to destabilise Nigeria.
In the charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024, the defendants were equally accused of levying war against the state to intimidate President Bola Tinubu by attacking and injuring police officers and burning police stations, a high court complex, the Nigerian Communications Commission complex, Kano printing press, Kano State Government House, and several other buildings.
The police told the court that the defendants acted contrary to and were liable to punishment under Section 97 of the Penal Code.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.
Reacting to this, the civil rights group, condemned the trial of the prosecution by the Federal Government, describing the charges as trumped-up and sham.
The civil rights group also noted that the FG’s primary aim is to silence Nigerians through its harsh treatment of the arrested protesters.
