Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has issued a strong condemnation of the Nigerian government’s increasing use of treason charges against protesters. Speaking at a two-day international anti-corruption and climate change conference in Abuja on Tuesday, September 3, Falana expressed deep concern over what he describes as the “tribalisation” of treason accusations....READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
The criticism follows the recent arraignment of ten leaders and organizers of the #EndBadGovernance protest, which occurred in August 2024. The protesters appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, facing serious allegations including treason, attempts to destabilize the country, intimidation of the President, and vandalism of government property in Kano.
The accused, identified as Michael Adaramoye (also known as Lenin), Adeyemi Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaoluwa Simon, Angel Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello, Nuradeen Khamis, and Abdulsalam Zubairu, have all pleaded not guilty to the six-count indictment filed by Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun.
Falana, who has a history of defending individuals charged with treason, voiced his frustration over the use of such severe charges against citizens exercising their right to protest. “I have been under immense pressure in the last 24 hours from both domestic and international quarters. People are questioning why the charge of treason is being applied in this manner. It’s concerning that protesting is being equated with treason,” Falana stated.
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He reassured the public that there is no need for panic, revealing that he is actively involved in defending the latest group of accused protesters. Falana plans to advise President Bola Tinubu to instruct the police to withdraw the charges, emphasizing the gravity of treason as a legal charge compared to lesser crimes.
“This will be the fifth treason case I’m defending,” Falana noted. “In the past four cases, the government was compelled to withdraw the charges after we turned the trial into a critique of the government’s actions.”
Recalling his previous successes in similar cases, Falana warned that the misuse of treason charges could have adverse effects on the government, cautioning that such measures could backfire as they have in the past.
