This weekend, the Department of State Services (DSS) released two #EndBadGovernance protesters who had been detained in Kaduna.
OsunDailyNG reports that despite this, at least 125 protesters remain in custody, including 38 who were remanded by Justice Emeka Nwite in Abuja.
Sources revealed to Vanguard that the 38 detained protesters are expected to appear before Justice Nwite for further hearings regarding their bail. These protesters, along with others, have been in detention for over 62 days.
Mr. Deji Adeyanju, counsel to the protesters, expressed concerns about the transparency of the judicial process.
He highlighted that although the authorities claimed to have filed charges, his legal team has yet to receive any documents, exposing inconsistencies in how protest-related cases are being handled nationwide.
Adeyanju noted that, in contrast, most of the 873 protesters arrested in Kano have been released, thanks to collaborative efforts with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Similarly, progress has been made in Sokoto, where two more protesters were recently released in the North-West region.
However, with the releases in Kano, Sokoto, and now Kaduna, about 125 protesters are still in custody, including 38 in Abuja and 10 facing treason charges.
“We are currently working on the cases of around 38 or 39 protesters who have been remanded by Justice Nwite in Abuja for 62 days,” Adeyanju explained.
“The authorities claim to have filed charges, but we have not been served any documents yet. This lack of transparency is our main challenge. In Kano, most of the 873 protesters have been released due to our collaboration with the NBA. We’ve also made some progress in Sokoto. However, I am unsure of the status in other states but will provide updates soon.”
The #EndBadGovernance protests were sparked by growing economic hardship and widespread hunger across Nigeria.
However, in several states, the protests turned violent, leading to arrests and casualties nationwide.
