A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to 71 protesters, who were arraigned on treason charges for participating in the End Bad Governance protest.
The 71 protesters granted bail were among the 76 who were arraigned by the police before the court for engaging in the prohibited demonstration in the country.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government withdrew charges against five other protesters facing trial after they slumped during proceedings inside the courtroom.
Following the incident, the court stepped down the charges against the sick defendants pending their recovery.
In the ruling delivered on Friday by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, the court ordered the release of the 71 defendants after paying N10 million bail with two sureties.
Egwuatu held that one of the surety must be a civil servant while the other must be a parent of the arraigned protester.
The defendants, who were below the age of 15, pleaded not guilty to 10 count charges of terrorism, including plotting war and attempting to overthrow the ruling government.
The defendants, who had been detained in custody since August 2024, showed signs of ill health upon arrival at the court and became worse minutes after the proceeding started.
Before their arraignment, one of the protesters collapsed, followed by about three others, fueling suspicions that they were badly treated while in the custody of the security agencies in Abuja.
