Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), former Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) says it is wrong for the federal government to prosecute Nigerians who are genuinely protesting against hunger and hardship in the country.
Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday granted ten #EndBadGovernance in Nigeria protesters who were arrested and detained for treason among others.
He also ordered the defendants to refrain from participating in any public rally or protests throughout their trial and fixed September 27 for the commencement of trial.
The defendants are; Michael Adaramoye also known as Lenin, Adeyemi Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Comrade Opaluwa Simon, Angel Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello, Nurudeen Khamis and Abduldalam Zubair.
Speaking with TheScrutiny, Sagay said he however believed that some people who lost the 2023 general elections took advantage of the protest to plot illegitimate change of government.
“I don’t think it will be right to try anybody who came out to protest against hardship which all of us are experiencing. The hardship is just too much. The cost of food, transport and petrol is just too unbearable. We are just overwhelmed by the hardship”.
“So, anyone coming out to protest about that is entitled to do that in the hope that while hoping for the government’s policies to work, measures will be introduced that will greatly reduce the hardship. That is what I believe the protest should have been about for a number of people. If that was the case, nothing should be done to such persons. They are entitled to protest”.
“However, I believe that a number of people used the protest as a cover in order to get an illegitimate change of government and because they failed in the last election. So, it is a question of distinguishing between the two groups. My prayer is that no innocent person who is just protesting against the extreme hardship we are all experiencing should be detained and tried”.
