The Federal Government has officially withdrawn treason charges against minors involved in the recent #EndBadGovernance protests held nationwide. This decision was confirmed by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who assumed control of the case file. On Tuesday, the AGF’s office informed the Federal High Court in Abuja of its choice to discontinue the case against the young protesters. The motion to drop the charges was made by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, citing sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the amended 1999 Constitution and section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

Additionally, the DPPF requested that court proceedings be held without the minors’ presence, referencing Section 266(b) of the ACJA 2015 and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act. Human rights lawyer Mr. Femi Fanala, SAN, and other defense attorneys agreed with the applications, which led Justice Obiora Egwuatu to dismiss the charges.

Four of the 76 individuals initially detained by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for participating in the protests collapsed in court due to poor health, appearing weak and malnourished. Following this incident, the police removed these four minors from the list of defendants but proceeded with the other detainees, who were granted stringent bail conditions by the court. Public outrage ensued over the minors’ detention, prompting the AGF to request a review of the case and the transfer of the file to his office. Shortly after, President Bola Tinubu directed an immediate withdrawal of the charges and ordered a thorough investigation into the arrest and detention circumstances surrounding the minors.