Officials from the Kano State Government, led by Governor Abba Yusuf‘s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, have welcomed the Federal High Court’s decision to dismiss charges against minors arrested during the #EndBadGovernance protests in Kano.
The court ruling on Tuesday, delivered by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, followed a request from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, to discontinue the case.
In a notable show of solidarity, the Kano delegation attended the Abuja court session to support the teenagers, who will be transported to the Presidential Villa for an official handover to Governor Abba Yusuf.
The minors will then be flown to Kano later in the evening, where they will undergo rehabilitation before being returned to their families.
During the proceedings, counsel for the AGF, M.D. Abubakar, invoked Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to take over the case from the Inspector General of Police and subsequently requested the court to discontinue the charges.
Justice Egwuatu accepted the request and dismissed the charges after noting no objections from the defense lawyers representing the 119 accused persons. The judge also ordered the immediate release of the minors from detention.
The dismissal follows President Bola Tinubu’s directive on Monday, which urged the AGF to terminate the trial of the detained minors, emphasizing that they should not have faced such charges in the first place due to their age.
The Kano government’s officials have expressed their commitment to ensuring the minors receive appropriate support upon their return.
