- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Government’s prosecution counsel, Rimazonte Ezekiel, has dismissed reports claiming the End-Bad-Governance protesters arraigned before Abuja Federal High Court yesterday are mostly minors.
Rimazonte claimed that the arraigned protesters are all adults and married men.
The prosecution counsel made this claim while addressing news men Friday following the collapse of some of the minors at the court hearing on Friday.
In contrast to the viral video showing the group malnourished children in court, Rimazonte maintained that most of them were never the suspects under trial as they came to see their parents.
Meanwhile he accused the boys under trial for alleged attempt of invoking the military to oust the Nigerian President and invitation of foreign country by flying their flags in an effort to destabilize the country.
“These boys that we brought to court today, all of them are adults. Most of them are married men. None of them is a minor. Some of them are university graduates.
“The small, small kids you are seeing here, they came with their parents to greet their loved ones. They are not even the suspects standing trial today.
“These boys were arrested in Kaduna and Zaria. Imagine the level we are now. Do you know much it costs us to be at this leve of democracy we are have today?
“These boys are trying to destabilize Nigeria using the Russian flags and other countries, calling on the military to remove our President. Is it fair to even remove the state governor that we don’t want democracy again.” He said.
Rimazonte further denied the abuse of Nigerians’ fundamental rights while accusing the defense counsel of creating false impression about the Nigerian Police.
While reaffirming that all the arraigned suspects are adults, Rimazonte questioned the defense counsel if they indeed knew the suspects they were defending.
“If you don’t like democracy, are we forcing you? You go back home and sit. Everybody is enjoying their fundamental rights. Nobody is abusing their rights. Everybody is enjoying free movement.
“These boys for no reason started violent protest with foreign flags- Russian flags. Is that what we want in this country?
“Don’t mind the defense counsel. They will always say something to tarnish the image of the Nigerian Police. It’s not true.
“In my own case, we filed charge against the 43 defendants and all of them produced in court today are adults. Forget about what they are telling you that they are small children. Ask the defense counsel do they truly know the suspects they are defending?” He added.
Meanwhile, NPO reported that the court granted had halted the trial following the mild drama that ensued.
It, however, granted N10 million bail each to the suspects which Human Rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, said could not be met.