By ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian government has postponed the arraignment of #EndBadGovernance protest leaders, including Michael Adaramoye, also known as Michael Lenin, amid a heavy security presence at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.
Adaramoye and other activists, including Mosiu Sodiq and Eleojo Opaluwa, were arrested on August 5 for their involvement in the recent 10-day nationwide protests against bad governance. They have been in detention for two weeks under the directive of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, according to activist groups.
The Take It Back (TIB) Movement, a pro-democracy organization, condemned the postponement in a statement, describing it as “a show of incompetence and the challenges of criminalizing protests.” The group added that lawyers are still awaiting specific charges against the activists.
Francis Nwapa, National Secretary of the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), and Salako Kayode, Publicity Secretary of RSM, issued a joint statement criticizing the government’s actions. “Instead of releasing them, the federal government wastefully used public money to transport the army, police and DSS to court because of planned solidarity protests by Nigerians at the Federal High Court in Abuja,” the statement read.
Eyewitnesses reported a significant deployment of security personnel, including army, police, and Department of State Services (DSS) officers, around the court premises on Monday morning. The security buildup came in response to TIB’s announced plans to occupy the court from 7 a.m. in support of the detained protesters.
Amnesty International, a global human rights organization, has previously condemned the continued arbitrary detention of the protesters.
The #EndBadGovernance protests, which concluded recently after a 10-day run, focused on issues of corruption, economic hardship, and demands for better governance in Nigeria. The arrests and subsequent legal proceedings have drawn criticism from human rights advocates who argue that the right to peaceful protest should be protected.
As of Monday afternoon, the Nigerian government had not issued an official statement regarding the postponement of the arraignment or the status of the detained activists. The situation continues to evolve, with activist groups calling for the immediate release of those detained and for charges to be dropped.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between the Nigerian government and civil society groups over issues of governance, freedom of expression, and the right to peaceful assembly.
Source: Saharareporters.com
