No fewer than 2,111 protesters were arrested nationwide during the 10-day #EndBadGovernance protests, which took place from August 1 to 10. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, and Chair of the Alliance on Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), revealed this in a strongly worded statement, condemning the mass arrests and subsequent legal proceedings.
According to Falana, out of the arrested protesters, 1,403 have been quietly arraigned in various courts. However, many were remanded in prison custody due to a lack of legal representation, despite the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) publicly committing to defend them.
In his statement, titled ‘Halt the Clampdown on Protesters’, Falana highlighted the unlawful treatment of the detainees, saying, “Whenever the suspects are going to be arraigned, they must be given adequate notice to be able to contact the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and their family members to make arrangements for their defence.”
Falana also revealed that seven Polish students, participating in an exchange program at Bayero University, Kano, were arrested during the protests for taking photographs.
“They may be charged with espionage to give the impression that the protests were instigated by foreign interest groups,” he warned.
Arrests Across Nigeria
Falana provided a breakdown of the arrests by state:
- Kano — 873
- Jigawa — 403
- Katsina — 120
- Gombe — 111
- Sokoto — 110
- Borno — 99
- Yobe — 90
- Bauchi — 60
- Plateau — 51
- Kaduna — 50
- FCT — 50
- Nasarawa — 40
- Niger — 25
- Zamfara — 19
- Cross River — 10
“Suspected Looters Are Treated Better”
Falana criticized the authorities for their discriminatory practices, pointing out that politically exposed individuals accused of looting billions of Naira are typically given advance notice of their court dates and granted bail on favorable terms.
“This is highly discriminatory and illegal on the ground that politically exposed persons who are arrested for looting the treasury… are usually informed in advance of the dates of their arraignment,” he argued.
He also noted that 783 protesters arrested in Kano were reportedly detained for displaying the Russian flag, with even a tailor who was sewing the flag taken into custody.
Falana commented on the irony of this, stating, “It may be difficult to press charges against the suspects in a country where the flags of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and other European countries are hoisted by the majority of hotels in Nigeria while Churches hoist the flag of Israel based on the erroneous belief that it is a Christian country.”
Falana’s statement underscores the urgent need for the Nigerian government to uphold the constitutional rights of the detained protesters and ensure they receive fair legal representation.