A Federal Government counsel, Rimazonte Ezekiel, has clarified the reason behind the arraignment of alleged underage boys at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday.
Tribune Online reports that Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted bail of N10 million each to 67 minors out of the 76 individuals arraigned for participating in the #EndBadGovernance protest held on August 24, 2024.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the bail was granted, Ezekiel stated that the 76 young protesters were arraigned in Abuja due to their use of Russian flags, which he argued signified an intentional effort to destabilise Nigeria’s democratic system.
He further explained that their actions, particularly the waving of foreign flags, including the Russian flag undermined Nigerian sovereignty and promoted foreign agendas.
According to Ezekiel, displaying the Russian flag symbolises allegiance to non-democratic ideologies that could threaten Nigeria’s stability.
The protests, which took place in Kaduna and Zaria, called for an end to bad governance and involved young demonstrators waving foreign flags, an act Ezekiel claimed was part of a broader attempt to destabilise the nation.
He also refuted claims that any of the accused were minors, asserting that they are adults, including married men and university graduates.
He said, “These boys that we brought to the court today, all of them are adults. Most of them are married men. None of them is a minor. Some of them are university graduates. The small kids you are seeing here came with some of their parents to greet their loved ones. They are not even the real suspects standing trial in this case. These boys were arrested in Kaduna and Zaria.
“Imagine the level we find ourselves now. Do you know how much it costs us to be at this level of our democracy? These young boys are trying to destabilize Nigeria, using foreign flags of other countries and calling on the military to remove our president. Is it fair to even remove the state governors because they do not want democracy anymore?
“These boys, for no reason, started protesting with foreign, Russian flags. Is that what we want in this country? Don’t mind the defence counsel; they will always say something to tarnish the image of the Nigerian police. It is not true. In my own case, we filed a charge against 43 defendants, and all of them are produced today. All of them are adults. Forget what they are telling you that they are small children. Ask the defence counsel: do they truly know the suspects they are defending?”
The detention and subsequent prosecution of the suspects have continued to generate reactions from all and sundry, with some describing the development as shocking and shameful.
