The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the treason charges filed against the #EndBadGovernance movement by the Inspector General of Police.
On Tuesday, Justice Obiora Egwuatu dropped the charges after the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, withdrew them on behalf of the federal government.
Fagbemi, represented by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), M.D. Abubakar, informed the court that he was exercising his authority under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to take over the case from the Inspector General of Police.
Following the court’s approval of this request, the Attorney General invoked the same constitutional provision to discontinue the prosecution of the 150 individuals accused.
With no objections from the defense attorneys, Justice Egwuatu granted the request and dismissed the charges. Though the accused were not present in court, the judge ordered their immediate release from detention.
On Monday, President Bola Tinubu had instructed the Attorney General to drop the charges against the accused, many of whom are believed to be minors and legally exempt from such trials.
Further details will follow.
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