The Nigerian government on Friday arraigned a set of 43 persons and others arrested over #EndBadGovernance protests along with some others reportedly at large, in a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The 43 defendants include six minors, one of them a 15-year-old boy, Ahmed Haruna. Others include 12 people allegedly arrested with Russian flags during the August nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.

In the case filed by DCP Simon Lough (SAN) of the Legal Prosecution Section of the Nigeria Police Force, one of those said to be at large is a 70-year-old British citizen Andrew Martin Wynne, aka Andrew Povich.

Earlier on Friday, the police arraigned a set of 76 #EndBadGovernance protesters, five of whom slumped in court.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu, presiding over the case on Friday, granted each of the defendants N10 million bail.

In his ruling, Justice Egwuatu specified that each defendant must provide two sureties in like sum.

He added that one of the sureties must be a civil servant of grade level 15 or higher, with a verifiable address within the court’s jurisdiction, while the other surety must be a parent of the protester involved.

The prosecution temporarily withdrew the charges against the five minors who slumped in court till they are well enough to stand trial.

The charge against them reads, “That you (1) Abduljalal Abdulwahab 20 Yrs (2) Fahad Ibrahim 20 Yrs (3) Ahmad Isah 28 Yrs (4) Ibrahim Iliyasu 29 Yrs (5) Anas Sani 17 Yrs (6) Yunusa Aliyu 24 Yrs (7) Hassan Mohammed 28 Yrs (8) Iliyasu Anas 31 Yrs (9) Muhammad Abubakar 20 Yrs (10) Muhammed Abubakar Ishaq 28 Yrs (11) Abubakar Umar 28 Yrs (12) Musa Abubakar 20 Yrs (13) Lukman Abubakar 19 Yrs (14) Muhammad Sani 18 Yrs (15) Hussaini Sani 22 Yrs (16) Nuhu Umar 19 Yrs (17) Mubarak Ibrahim 21 Yrs (18) Zakari Yakubu 16 Yrs (19) Anas Muhammad Mustapha 32 Yrs (20) Zakari Ibrahim 16 Yrs (21) Bakiru Mohammed 18 Yrs (22) Aminu Mohammed 18 Yrs (23) Mohammed Umar 20 Yrs (24) Mohammed Kabir 25 Yrs (25) Sabo Mustala 17 Yrs (26) Abdullahi Sani 20 Yrs (27) Umar Yakubu 29 Yrs (28) Kabiru Rabiu 21 Yrs (29) Aliyu Yusuf 18 Yrs (30) Sagir Hassan 17 Yrs (31) Abdullahi Salisu 20 Yrs (32) Yahaya Kabiru 20 Yrs (33) Gadafi Muhammed 28 Yrs (34) Naziru Lawal 18 Yrs (35) Jibril Abdulkarim 19 Yrs (36) Tasiu Yakubu 23 Yrs (37) Musa Abdulrazak 20 Yrs (38) Idris Jibril Alhassan Yrs (39) Haruna Nasiru 19 Yrs (40) Ahmed Haruna 15 Yrs (41) Ahmed Nasir 19 Yrs (42) Muhammad Lawal 32 Yrs (43) Ahmed Abdulkadir 22 Yrs, and others who are now at large which include Andrew Martin Wynne (aka Andrew Povich) M 70 years British citizen and many others between 31 July, 2024 to 5th August 2024 at FCT Abuja, Kaduna State, Kano State, Nasarawa State, Sokoto State, Zamfara State, and many other states which is within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court while acting in concert and with intent to destabilize Nigeria.”

The 12 persons accused of protesting with Russian flags are Bakir Mohammed, Aminu Mohammed, Mahmoud Umar, Abdullahi Sani, Kabir Rabiu, Yahaya Kabiru, Gaddoki Muhammed, Nasiru Lawal, Jubril Abdulkarim, Hussaini Sani, Idris Jubril Alhassan and Haruna Nasiru.

In Count two, the defendants are accused of conspiring “among themselves with intent to break down law and order in the above states, inciting the Nigerian Military, the Russian government, and other western countries to topple the democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency President Bola Ahmad Tinubu government and other state governors using Russian Flags and other flags of other countries in violent protest against law and order, that Nigeria is not safe, and calling for the suspension of democracy in the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.