By Mark Ogagan
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday struck out treason charges filed against 119 minors who have been in detention since the #EndBadGovernance protests in August.
The trial judge, Obiora Egwatu, struck out the case after the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), M.D. Abubakar, announced the withdrawal of the case in response to public outrage.
In exercise of the Attorney-General of the Federation’s power under section 174 of the Nigerian constitution, Mr Abubakar, representing the AGF, first announced the taking over of the case from the police before applying for its withdrawal on Tuesday.
The defence lawyers did not oppose the application.
Granting the request, the judge struck out the case in two batches, freeing a total of 119 defendants believed to be minors, who were present in court on Tuesday.
The development is a culmination of the public outrage that followed the illegal attempt by the police to prosecute the minors and the collapse of two of them while waiting to take their pleas during the last proceedings on 2 November.
The Child Rights Act prohibits the prosecution of less-than-18-year-old minors in the regular courts.
Local media reported how the hungry-looking underage defendants were brought to court from detention on 2 November for arraignment.
They were part of 176 defendants prepared for trial on charges of treason, terrorism and arson.
Four of the defendants, including two minors, collapsed during the proceedings, triggering local and international rebuke.
The trial judge had imposed stringent bail conditions and adjourned the case until January, ordering that the defendants should remain on remand pending when they would meet their bail conditions.
In response to public outrage regarding the mistreatment of the minors, the AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, had demanded the police to surrender the case file and announced a plan to secure an earlier hearing date in court.
President Tinubu also ordered the withdrawal of the case against the minors.
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