Following the recent arraignment of minors allegedly involved in the EndBadGovernance protests at the Federal High Court in Abuja, which sparked public outcry, police have arraigned 19 more suspects, including three minors, at State High Court 10 in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The suspects were charged before Justice Aisha Mohammed Ali for participating in similar protests in August of this year.
This development comes amid increasing calls for the federal government to drop charges against minors detained for their involvement in protests against hunger and high living costs.
According to the charge sheets, the three minors are aged between 14 and 17 years.
Representing the Borno State government, Attorney General Hauwa Abubakar presented two separate charges accusing the defendants of treason and using social media to defame the state governor, Babagana Zulum, and incite citizens against the state.
The minors are alleged to have joined a social media group in Hausa named Zanga-Zanga (meaning “protest”) on WhatsApp and TikTok, where they reportedly agreed to take arms against the state. This is an offense punishable under section 79 of the Borno State Penal Code Law, 2023.
In a second charge sheet, 11 defendants were accused of displaying the Russian flag in public and chanting “Bama yi” (meaning “we reject” or “we won’t participate”). Prosecutors argued that this act violates section 42 and is punishable under section 76(b) of the state’s penal code.
All defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.
The prosecution requested an adjournment to call witnesses and present evidence. However, defense counsel Barrister Yakubu Alhaji Adamu called for an expedited trial, citing that the accused had already spent over 90 days in police detention. “Only with an accelerated hearing can justice be served for these young people before this honorable court,” he argued.
Justice Ali adjourned the case to November 18, 2024, for a continuation of the hearing. She also ordered that the minors be transferred to a juvenile home, while the adult defendants be remanded in prison until the next hearing.
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