Politics
Nigerians condemn treason charges against #endbadgovernance protesters
The charges of treason slammed on the protesters of recently held peaceful protests over bad governance, which was caused by hardships in Nigeria, has continued to generate condemnations among many Nigerians. It has also become more worrisome, for the fact that this is probably the first time that a peaceful demonstration over issues concerning the entire nation would be termed as treasonable felony.
Several protesters who had been held in the past, including, even the recently staged by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), were not slammed with treason.
Many people winder why the end bad governance protest should attract treason charges, which may be intended to create fears and serious concerns, among the people, especially activists, union leaders, even politicians, who at one time or the other, had gone on the streets to protest against one grievance or the other.
It was argued tha the charges for protests since independence and under the military had always been unlawful assembly, or disturbance of public peace, which did not carry capital punishments, unlike the present treason charge with the possibility on conviction of a death sentence or life imprisonment.
According to some commentators over the matter, with the tone of the present government over protests, it means Nigerians now have to think twice before they hit the streets to express their grievances over any issue, which has to do with any government of the day, as precedent may have been set by the present government.
According to what was contained in the treason charges against 10 Nigerians now facing the law for their roles in the end bad governance protests, the Federal Government arraigned them with counts concerning treason before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court, Abuja in a charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024 filed on August 30.
The protesters now in court, are “Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye (aka Lenin), male, 28 years; Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi (aka Yomi), male, 34 years; Suleiman Yakubu, male, 28 years; Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, male, 50 years; Angel Love Innocent, female, 51 years; Buhari Lawal, male, 21 male, 28 years; Bashir Bello (aka Murtala), male, 51 years; Nuradeen Khamis, male, 47 years; and Abdulsalam Zubairu, male, 37 years.”
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These Nigerians, were charged with treason, intent to destabilise Nigeria, conspiracy to commit felony and inciting mutiny, among others, which are punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code. This charges were as a result of the protests some youths held against hardships in Nigeria
between August 1 and August 10 in the country.
Amnesty International has urged the government to release those detained during the rallies as these youths, facing a big risk pleaded not guilty in court having death penalty hanging on their necks, if convicted.
Reports showed that these people were arrested in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and Gombe.
While their case would come up again on September 11, for hearing, the lawyers for those accused, requested for their release on bond by oral application but the state refused.
What also heightened the awareness and concern of the people, especially, the international communities is the British National linked with the protest and on the allegation of plotting to overthrow the present government .
Since the connection of this Briton, who claimed to have been in Nigeria for the past 25 years and as well operating a bookshop at the NLC in the heart of Abuja, the Nigerian Federal Capital, organizations like the Amnesty International, has spoken against his detention and have called for the unconditional release of those arrested during the protests.
The organisation rejected the charges, which have been described by its Director in Nigeria, Isa Sanusi as “blatantly trumped-up charges that must be immediately withdrawn,”
He said the protests only called for accountability, transparency, and significant changes to tackle economic mismanagement, growing living expenses, food inflation, which does not warrant the charges of capital punishment placed on the protesters, he emphasized.
It is not however, the Amnesty International alone that condemned the ways the federal government is handling the end bad governance protest and the charges against the protesters.
Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has also expressed displeasure over the manner with which the government is handling the case. According to the renowned human rights lawyer, the action of the government is condemnable and unacceptable. He further said he was disgusted about the increasing use of treason charges against protesters in the country.
Falana expressed deep concern over what he described as the “trivilization” of treason, questioning the rationale behind charging citizens with treason, simply for exercising their right to protest.
“I have been under pressure from people in Nigeria and abroad. People are wondering why the charge of treason is being trivilised in our country. How can you say that because people protested, they are being charged with treason?”
Falana, who has for a long time been in the forefront of defending individuals accused of treason, assured the public that there is no cause for alarm.
He revealed that he has already taken up the latest cases and intends to advise the government, particularly President Bola Tinubu, to instruct the police to withdraw the charges.
“All those who have expressed concern, do not be bothered; there is no cause for alarm”, he pointed out
“We are taking up the case, and we are going to advise the government, particularly, the President, to direct the police to withdraw the charge. And that advice is also in the interest of the government, because a treason charge is not like a charge of stealing”.
“This will be the fifth treason charge I am going to defend in our country,” Falana noted. “In the four previous cases, the government was compelled to withdraw the charges, because we turned the case into the trial of the government.”
Also worried about the fate of the accused persons, a Human Rights lawyer based in Abuja Barrister, Pelumi Olajengbesi, who took it upon himself to write a strong worded letter to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, over the ordeal of all those charged for treason, because of the end bad governance protests.
In his letter, which was handed over to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) last week, Olajengbesi said criminalizing young demonstrators, who protested against hunger and bad governance in Nigeria in August “is an affront to the rule of law”.
According to him, “right to peaceful assembly and protest is the bedrock of any democratic society, enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and safeguarded by international human rights instruments to which Nigeria is a party.”
“To criminalize citizens for exercising their legitimate right to dissent through peaceful protest not only constitutes a breach of these legal protections, but also tarnishes Nigeria’s standing on the global stage,” he pointed out..
The human rights lawyer warned that the government is embarking on a counterproductive actions, inimical to the ideals of democracy and free expression while he urged AGF, to ensure the protection of citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and expression.
He pointed out,, “It is incumbent upon us to prevent the normalization of criminalizing lawful dissent, which undermines the democratic fabric of our society”.
“Historically, governments that have resorted to such heavy-handed tactics have invariably eroded their legitimacy in the eyes of both the citizenry and the international community.
One of the lawyers defending the protesters, Deji Adeyanju, also disclosed that they are working to ensure that the accused were released, saying that a team of lawyers has been working to secure their release.
“The charge against the protesters is completely unacceptable, because it’s an attempt to criminalize freedom of assembly, and the criminalization will be resisted.”
He said, what actually exposed the government was the ways the protesters were picked up, adding that these people never knew themselves as they were picked up in different places and wondered how those, who didn’t know themselves could have planned a mutiny against the government ”
Meanwhile a British National, Drew Povey, accused of plotting against President Tinubu’s government has reacted, saying that as far as he was concerned, protest is not treason.
Povey, who is also known as Andrew Wynne, was reacting to the allegation by the federal government that he was building “a network of sleeper cells to topple the Bola Tinubu’s administration and plunge the nation into chaos.”
With this serious allegation, the security operatives raided and sealed his bookshop in Abuja situated at the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
However, Mr. Povey asked the government to release the detainees, while he said that he is not a fugitive and that he was not aware that the Nigerian government has been looking for him.
With the Association of Nurses planning to go on strike, the NLC new move to resume their protests, and the National Associations of Nigerian Students to stage its own nationwide protests, there were indications that the present administration should be prepared to have more youths in its custody, who could be charged for the same offence.