Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has approved a bail reduction for five of the #EndBadGovernance protesters, lowering their bail to ₦5 million each, along with one surety in the same amount. The decision came after a request by defense lawyers to ease the conditions for five protesters who were struggling to meet the original bail terms.

Earlier, on September 11, the judge had granted bail for all 10 protesters with a total sum of ₦100 million, requiring each defendant to provide a surety with landed property in Abuja. Many of the protesters, however, found it difficult to fulfill these stringent requirements.

In response, the defense lawyers appealed to the court to reconsider the bail conditions. The court then granted the variation for the five protesters, reducing their individual bail to ₦5 million, bringing the total for the five to ₦25 million. The judge stipulated that the surety must be a close family member, such as a father or mother. If neither parent is available, another blood relative within the jurisdiction will be accepted.

The 10 defendants—Michael Adaramoye (aka Lenin), Adeyemi Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Comrade Opaluwa Simon, Angel Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello, Nurudeen Khamis, and Abduldalam Zubair—face a six-count charge. The charges include treason, conspiracy to commit a felony, inciting mutiny, and intent to destabilize the country, offenses punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code.

According to the Federal Government, the defendants attempted to storm the seat of power, allegedly setting fire to a police station and injuring police officers in the process. They were also accused of inciting the public against the government and causing destruction to public properties, including a police station, a High Court complex, and facilities belonging to the National Communications Commission.

All ten protesters have pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them by the Inspector General of Police.