10 individuals face the death penalty in Nigeria over treason charges

The protest that rocked Nigeria last month led to the crackdown of individuals, some of which have been labeled treasonous. As seen in Reuters, 10 people have been charged with treason and plotting to provoke a military rebellion in Nigeria during the #Endbadgovernance protest.

Another report on the charges from Sahara Reporters showed that these people were arrested in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and Gombe.

Sahara Reporters also listed these men, which are “Michael Tobiloba Adaramoye (aka Lenin), male, 28 years; Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi (aka Yomi), male, 34 years; Suleiman Yakubu, male, 28 years; Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, male, 50 years; Angel Love Innocent, female, 51 years; Buhari Lawal, male, 21 years; Mosiu Sadiq, male, 28 years; Bashir Bello (aka Murtala), male, 51 years; Nuradeen Khamis, male, 47 years; and Abdulsalam Zubairu, male, 37 years.”

“Abubakar Marshal is appearing for 1st-4th defendants, Hamza is appearing for the 5th defendant, Deji Adeyanju is appearing for the 6th-8th defendants while Ahmed Abdulrahaman is appearing for the 9th defendant,” the report adds.

The ten individuals were charged in the Abuja Federal High Court and pleaded not guilty, after being charged on Monday. Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong stated that if convicted, they will face the death penalty.

According to the official court documents, these 10 individuals “conspired together to commit felony to wit, treason.” The accused were also charged with inciting the military to mutiny, burning government buildings and disturbing public peace.

The lawyers for those accused requested for the release of their clients on bond, which the state resisted. The court will rule on September 11, when their trial is scheduled to begin.

Amnesty International has spoken against the detention and have called for the unconditional release of those arrested during the protests.

“These are blatantly trumped-up charges that must be immediately withdrawn,” the director for Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, stated.

On the first day of August, disgruntled Nigerians took to the streets to express their grievances on the country’s economic situation under the banner #EndbadgovernanceinNigeria.

The protests called for accountability, transparency, and significant changes to tackle economic mismanagement, growing living expenses, food inflation, and corruption.

After the president’s state of the country speech on August 4th, the demonstrations that resulted in around 17 deaths, countless injuries, and destruction to both public and private property lost momentum and eventually came to a halt.