A minor who is among 76 individuals scheduled for arraignment by the Nigerian Police Force for their involvement in the recent EndBadGovernance protests held nationwide reportedly collapsed in court on Friday.
Reports revealed that this young defendant, who is only 15 years old, collapsed just before the charges were to be presented by Justice Obiora Egwuatu at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The incident prompted the judge to pause the proceedings and retreat to his chambers.
With assistance from lawyers present in the courtroom, the visibly frail boy was quickly taken to the court’s clinic while his fellow defendants, many of whom are also minors, expressed their distress through tears.
Mr. Deji Adeyanju, one of the attorneys representing the defendants, noted that the minors had been in police custody for over 80 days.
He indicated that the 76 defendants are facing a 10-count charge, referenced as FCH/ABJ/CS/503/2024, stemming from their arrests in Abuja and Kano during the protests.
The police, in a charge signed by a legal team led by DCP Simon Lough, SAN, allege that the defendants, along with others who remain at large, conspired to commit a felony between July 31 and August 4 in Abuja and Kano, with the intent to destabilize Nigeria.
The charges include treason, which is in violation of Section 96 of the Penal Code and carries penalties under Section 97 of the same Code.
