A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the case against 76 individuals charged in connection with the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, the presiding judge, struck out the suit after M.D. Abubakar, counsel for the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), requested to assume control of the case and withdraw it. Representing Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, exercised the AGF’s constitutional authority under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to take over the prosecution from the Inspector General of Police.
Justice Egwuatu approved the request, after which the AGF moved to invoke the same section of the Constitution to halt the trial of the 119 accused individuals. The defense lawyers present did not oppose the application, and Justice Egwuatu subsequently agreed, striking out the charges.
The judge also ordered the immediate release of the accused persons, who were not present in court at the time of the ruling. President Bola Tinubu had previously directed the AGF to drop the charges against those involved, noting that most of the accused were minors and thus not legally subject to such a trial.
