A hunger protester has taken legal action against the Inspector General of Police in Abuja for his prolonged detention without trial. The protester, Babatunde Akande, claimed he was arrested during a church service on September 1, 2024, for participating in the #Endbadgovernance protests held between August 1 and 10.
Akande alleged that he has been held in the detention facility of the Intelligence Response Team in Abuja without trial and denied access to his family since his arrest. The lawsuit, filed on his behalf, listed the National Security Adviser, State Security Service, and Attorney General of the Federation as defendants.
The legal team representing Akande argued that his continued detention without being brought before a court of competent jurisdiction violated his fundamental human rights as enshrined in the constitution. They requested the court to award N300m in damages to Akande.
The case, filed on September 11, is yet to be assigned to a judge. In a related development, the police have arraigned 10 activists on charges of treason, destabilizing the country, and other offenses in connection with the protests. Additionally, the Department of State Services revealed plans to prosecute three protesters arrested in Kaduna.