On Friday, the Nigerian government brought charges against a total of 43 individuals, including six minors, in a Federal High Court in Abuja. These individuals were detained during the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests, alongside others who remain at large.
Among the accused is a 15-year-old boy named Ahmed Haruna, as well as 12 individuals who were allegedly found in possession of Russian flags during the demonstrations in August. Notably, one of the individuals sought by authorities is a 70-year-old British national, Andrew Martin Wynne, also known as Andrew Povich.
Earlier in the day, law enforcement presented 76 protesters in court, five of whom fainted during proceedings. Justice Obiora Egwuatu, overseeing the case, granted each defendant bail set at N10 million. He stipulated that the bail conditions require each individual to present two sureties of equal value. One surety must be a civil servant at grade level 15 or higher, possessing a verifiable address within the jurisdiction, while the other must be a parent of the accused.
The prosecution has temporarily set aside the charges against the five minors who collapsed in court until they are deemed fit to proceed with their trial.
The defendants face charges alleging that they acted collectively with the intention to undermine the stability of Nigeria. The specific charge states: “That you (1) Abduljalal Abdulwahab (20), (2) Fahad Ibrahim (20), (3) Ahmad Isah (28), (4) Ibrahim Iliyasu (29), (5) Anas Sani (17), (6) Yunusa Aliyu (24), (7) Hassan Mohammed (28), (8) Iliyasu Anas (31), (9) Muhammad Abubakar (20), (10) Muhammed Abubakar Ishaq (28), (11) Abubakar Umar (28), (12) Musa Abubakar (20), (13) Lukman Abubakar (19), (14) Muhammad Sani (18), (15) Hussaini Sani (22), (16) Nuhu Umar (19), (17) Mubarak Ibrahim (21), (18) Zakari Yakubu (16), (19) Anas Muhammad Mustapha (32), (20) Zakari Ibrahim (16), (21) Bakiru Mohammed (18), (22) Aminu Mohammed (18), (23) Mohammed Umar (20), (24) Mohammed Kabir (25), (25) Sabo Mustala (17), (26) Abdullahi Sani (20), (27) Umar Yakubu (29), (28) Kabiru Rabiu (21), (29) Aliyu Yusuf (18), (30) Sagir Hassan (17), (31) Abdullahi Salisu (20), (32) Yahaya Kabiru (20), (33) Gadafi Muhammed (28), (34) Naziru Lawal (18), (35) Jibril Abdulkarim (19), (36) Tasiu Yakubu (23), (37) Musa Abdulrazak (20), (38) Idris Jibril Alhassan, (39) Haruna Nasiru (19), (40) Ahmed Haruna (15), (41) Ahmed Nasir (19), (42) Muhammad Lawal (32), (43) Ahmed Abdulkadir (22), among others, including Andrew Martin Wynne, a 70-year-old British citizen.”
Furthermore, 12 individuals are charged specifically with protesting while carrying Russian flags: Bakir Mohammed, Aminu Mohammed, Mahmoud Umar, Abdullahi Sani, Kabir Rabiu, Yahaya Kabiru, Gaddoki Muhammed, Nasiru Lawal, Jubril Abdulkarim, Hussaini Sani, Idris Jibril Alhassan, and Haruna Nasiru.
In a second count, the defendants are accused of conspiring to incite unrest and to persuade both the Nigerian military and foreign governments, including Russia, to overthrow the democratically elected government led by President Bola Ahmad Tinubu, using Russian flags as symbols during violent protests against law and order in Nigeria.
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