Five of the 125 defendants brought before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday for alleged terrorism charges collapsed shortly after proceedings began. The defendants, mostly teenagers, appeared before Justice Obiora Egwuatu, accused by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) of participating in an #EndBadGovernance protest in Kano State, where they reportedly chanted anti-government slogans and displayed foreign flags.
The incident occurred as the first batch of 76 defendants mounted the dock, with several fainting moments after. Health officials were quickly called to the courtroom to attend to those affected, leading the judge to suspend proceedings temporarily.
Marshall Abubakar, a defense attorney for the accused, attributed the collapses to hunger and lack of medical care, explaining that many of the defendants, some as young as 12, had been held in police custody without adequate food or healthcare for weeks.
"These children are malnourished and sick, having spent weeks in detention without proper care," Abubakar stated. "They need medical attention, and their physical state is a reflection of this unfortunate situation."
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