By RSM (Revolutionary Socialist Movement) Editorial Committee
In a landmark judgment that marks a significant vindication for popular struggle and democratic rights in Nigeria, a Federal High Court in Abuja has acquitted 11 #EndBadGovernance activists, striking out the trumped-up treason and terrorism charges that the state had used to hound them for over 16 months.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on December 10th at the Federal High Court in Abuja, ruling that the prosecution had shown a lack of diligence and failed to present a case capable of sustaining the grave allegations leveled against the activists. As a result, the charges brought under the guise of “treason” and “terrorism” for their role in the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests of August 2024 were struck out and the defendants fully acquitted.
From Mass Hardship to Mass Resistance
The #EndBadGovernance protests that swept Nigeria from August 1 to 10, 2024, were rooted in concrete and shared experiences: mass hunger, the unbearable cost of living, joblessness, social injustice, insecurity, and widespread corruption under the administration of President Bola Tinubu. Millions of Nigerians workers, youth, poor families took to the streets to demand an end to policies that enriched a few while deepening the crisis for the majority.
Far from being criminal actors, these activists were among those on the frontlines of grassroots mobilisation. Their only “crime” was to give voice to millions of Nigerians who were driven to protest by unbearable economic conditions and political exclusion. The state’s decision to charge them with treason and terrorism was an attempt to criminalise dissent and suppress the democratic right to protest, a right guaranteed both by the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights law. Instead of the Tinubu government working to reduce poverty and tackle inequality, he, with the support of Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, scapegoats protesters.
A Politically Charged Prosecution
The prosecution’s case was fundamentally flawed and politically motivated from the outset. The activists including Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Daniel Akande, Mosiu Sodeeq, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, Angel Love Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Bashir Bello, Nuradeen Khamis, and Abdulsalam Zubairu were arrested and detained by the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies. Their bank accounts were frozen, their reputations smeared, and their lives put on hold as the government sought to intimidate and isolate them not for any offence known to law but for being active in anti-government protest.
The charges were so baseless that, in the end, the prosecution repeatedly failed to present evidence. After endless adjournments and procedural delays, the court saw through the sham and delivered a just ruling. While the justice system has been uneven and politicised in Nigeria, this judgment demonstrates the potential even within the existing framework for the courts to check state repression when pushed by a determined struggle and principled legal defence.
Victory for Rights, Not Only For 11 Activists
This acquittal is more than a personal victory for the 11 activists. It is a victory for the right to dissent, for freedom of assembly, and for the collective struggle against neoliberal austerity and authoritarian governance. The state’s attempt to equate calls for accountability with treason was an escalation of repression that threatened every citizen’s democratic rights. Today’s judgment blows open that scare-tactic. However, justice has not been fully served.
In the wake of the acquittal, we demand that the comrades should be immediately compensated for the wrongful prosecution and the economic, emotional, and reputational damage inflicted on the activists. The Tinubu government must apologise for weaponising the legal system against citizens exercising constitutional rights. We demand a full compensation for the hardships they faced during the prosecution.
RSM stands firmly behind these demands. What the state took from these activists -their time, their careers, and their peace of mind cannot- be returned by a court order alone. The Nigerian government must make reparations commensurate with the injustice inflicted, and must commit to structural changes that prevent similar abuses in the future.
The Struggle Continues
The acquittal of these 11 comrades is a milestone in the broader struggle for workers’ rights, social justice, and democratic freedoms in Nigeria. It is a testament to the power of collective action and political solidarity. But it is emphatically not a signal that the struggle is over.
Across the country, millions continue to grapple with the very conditions that propelled the #EndBadGovernance protests. Poverty, unemployment, inflation, insecurity and inequality remain systemic and entrenched. The state’s elites continue to serve the interests of capital, foreign lenders, and political insiders instead of the well-being of working people.
For RSM, this judgment reinforces a core truth: the struggle for socialism, for a workers’ power and a people-centred society remains indispensable. The right to protest is not a charity granted by the powerful; it is a fundamental right won by struggle and maintained by persistent organised resistance.
We extend revolutionary solidarity to our comrades internationally who helped mount pressure on the Nigerian government, and to all Nigerians fighting for a just, equitable and democratic society.
End Bad Governance! Power to the Working People!
