The Department of State Service, DSS, has released two #EndBadGovernance protesters who were being held in detention in Kaduna.
At least 125 protesters, including 38 remanded by Justice Emeka Nwite in Abuja, are still in detention after more than 62 days. The 38 detained protesters are set to appear before Justice Nwite for further bail hearing. Their counsel, Deji Adeyanju, expressed concerns about the lack of transparency in the judicial process, stating that authorities claimed to have filed charges, but his team hasn’t received any documents .
It’s worth noting that most of the 873 protesters arrested in Kano have been released, thanks to collaborative efforts by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) .Additionally, progress is being made in Sokoto, with two protesters recently released in the North-West region.
Nationwide, over 1,000 protesters were arrested.Considering the releases in Kano (873) and Sokoto, as well as Kaduna (two), about 125 protesters are likely still in custody, including the 38 in Abuja and 10 facing treason charges.
Adeyanju said: “We are currently working on the cases of about 38 or 39 #EndBadGovernance protesters, who have been remanded by Justice Nwite in Abuja for 62 days.
“Their remand is set to end today (Monday). The authorities claim to have filed charges against many others, but we have not been served any documents up to this point. That’s the main challenge we have.
“In Kano, most of the 873 protesters have been released because we have been collaborating with the NBA on this matter. In Sokoto, we have made some progress as well.
“However, I am not entirely sure about the situation in other states, but I can look into it and provide you with an update in the next few days.”
The #EndBadGovernance protests in Nigeria were sparked by the worsening economic crisis and growing hunger across the country. With inflation rates on food hitting 36% and the removal of fuel subsidies in May 2023 driving many people into poverty, it’s no surprise that Nigerians took to the streets to demand change . The protests, which began peacefully, unfortunately turned violent in some states, resulting in casualties and arrests across the country.
