A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the case against individuals charged in connection with the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
The court’s ruling came on Tuesday after an application by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, seeking to take over and discontinue the suit.
The AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, exercised his constitutional powers under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to take over the case from the Inspector General of Police.
During the court session, Fagbemi’s representative, Mohammed Abubakar, requested that the charges against the 119 accused persons be dropped, citing the president’s directive for the termination of the case.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted the AGF’s application, and after no objections were raised by the defense counsel, he struck out the charges.
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The court also ordered the immediate release of the accused, who were not present in court during the proceedings.
The move follows an earlier directive by President Bola Tinubu, who on Monday instructed the AGF to terminate the charges against the accused, many of whom are reportedly minors and thus prohibited from being tried under such charges.