In a major legal victory for civil rights in Nigeria, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday dismissed all treason and terrorism-related charges against 11 activists arrested during the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests.

The court’s decision, hailed by human rights advocates as a “landmark ruling,” comes after more than a year of legal proceedings against the protesters, who had been accused of attempting to destabilize the nation.

Reacting to the ruling, one of the freed activists, Adaramoye Michael Lenin, took to social media, describing the outcome as a historic triumph. “Historic victory today! Justice Emeka Nwite struck out the treason and terrorism charges against 11 EndBadGovernance protesters and acquitted all of us,” he wrote on Facebook.

The August 2024 protests, which swept through multiple cities in Nigeria, were fueled by widespread public frustration over rising insecurity, inflation, and perceived governance failures under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

The acquitted individuals include Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Daniel Akande, Mosiu Sodeeq, Adeyemi Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaluwa Elego Simeon, Angel Love Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Basir Bello, Nurudeen Khamis, and Abdulsalam Zubairu. They had faced an array of serious charges, including treasonable felony, unlawful assembly, and alleged affiliations with terrorism.

During the protests, security agencies had classified some participants as threats to national security, detaining them under controversial circumstances that drew criticism from human rights groups and civil society organizations.

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Justice Nwite’s ruling effectively clears the activists of all wrongdoing, signaling a significant moment for the protection of citizens’ rights to peaceful protest and assembly in Nigeria.