#EndBadGovernance: Court Reduces Protesters’ Bail to N5m
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday reduced the bail conditions for five #EndBadGovernance protesters, setting the new amount at N5 million each. The decision came after the defense appealed the previous bail conditions, which the protesters struggled to meet.
The five protesters, part of a group of ten initially granted bail at N10 million each, had been unable to secure sureties with landed property in Abuja as required by the court. On September 11, the judge had set the initial bail at N100 million in total, with the stipulation that sureties must be residents of Abuja and own property in the city.
However, the defendants’ legal team, led by Marshall Abubakar, requested a bail variation, arguing that the terms were too stringent for some of the protesters. Justice Nwite responded by reducing the bail to N5 million per person. Under the new conditions, each surety must be a close blood relative, such as a parent or another family member residing within the court’s jurisdiction.
The ten protesters face serious charges, including treason, conspiracy, inciting mutiny, and attempting to destabilize the country. They have pleaded not guilty, and their case continues as the defense works to meet the revised bail conditions
