KEY POINTS
- A Nigerian court releases 119 protesters amid an economic crisis.
- Charges, including treason, were dropped following the president’s directive.
- The legal team urges rehabilitation and state compensation for detainees.
Authorities dropped charges against 119 people, including juveniles, who took part in protests against economic hardship in August. A Nigerian court released them on Tuesday.
Minors among 119 protesters released from custody
Numerous protesters were arrested as a result of the deadly protests, which brought attention to the general dissatisfaction with the nation’s economic difficulties.
Treason and instigating a military coup were among the major allegations against the accused, who were taken into custody and arraigned in batches of 76 and 43 last Friday. Public outrage and pleas for leniency, particularly about the juveniles participating in the protests, increased when some of these accusations carried the death penalty.
According to reuters, On Monday, President Bola Tinubu ordered the dismissal of the charges against all juveniles who had been imprisoned during the anti-government protests and ordered their release. This choice was made in response to mounting national pressure for humane treatment of the teenage protesters. The protesters’ attorney, Deji Adeyanju, told Reuters, “The case has been struck out, and the 119 protesters have been released.”
Legal counsel seeks rehabilitation and state compensation
According to Adeyanju, they are currently urging their respective state governments to provide rehabilitation and compensation for the victims who have been released. He went on to emphasise the necessity for a reaction that tackles the social and economic issues causing teenage protest by saying, “We are asking for their rehabilitation and for state governments to compensate them.”
Reuters stated, the hearing, which was originally scheduled for January, was accelerated after the nation’s attorney general took over the case from the police. All charges were dropped as a result of this prompt action, indicating the administration’s goal to defuse the tensions surrounding the protests.
In the face of persistent economic hardship, observers view this action as a component of a larger plan to preserve social stability and promote communication between the public and the government.
