Three minors and one person of adult age arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday to face charges related to the August end bad governance protest slumped shortly after they were called into the dock to take their pleas.
Penpushing reports that the four defendants, looked malnourished and unkempt, and are part of a total of 76 defendants brought from detention for arraignment on charges of terrorism, treason and arson in connection with the August protest.
The court in August, it is recalled ordered the remand of the 76 individuals for two months based on the request of the police for more time for further investigations, while the defendants, have been detained for about three months.
Penpushing further reports that they were initially held in police cells before the police approached the court to obtain an order for their remands in August, having earlier been arrested in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Gombe in connection with the 10-day protest which was held in many parts of the country from 1 to 10 August.
The police prosecutor, Audu Garba, informed the court that the matter was slated for arraignment of the 76 defendants, who had been in detention, and shortly after the defendants appeared in the dock, Usman Fatihu (21), Muhammed Yahaya (14), Muktar Ishak Alhassan (16) and Mustapha Ibrahim (18) suddenly slumped.
Penpushing also reports that the accused were subsequently taken out of the courtroom to be attended to, while the 68th, 74th, 75th, and76th defendants facing 10 counts of treason and terrorism, however, the ugly development forced the trial judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, abruptly halted the proceedings.
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