Abuja — December 3, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
A coalition of labour activists and civil-society organisations under the banner of Socialist Labour today called on the federal government to immediately drop all charges against eleven individuals mainly youth protesters currently standing trial for their alleged involvement in the #EndBadGovernance protests. The group described the legal action as politically motivated, lacking credible evidence and a flagrant attack on civil liberties and the constitutional right to protest. The accused include youth-rights activists who have been detained since 2024, some under treason or terrorism-related charges after peaceful mass demonstrations against economic hardship, corruption and poor governance.
The Socialist Labour coalition argued that the prolonged detention, repeated adjournments and absence of concrete evidence constitute violations of fair-trial and human-rights principles. They warned that continuing the prosecutions risks transforming Nigeria’s democracy into a system where peaceful dissent is criminalised a trajectory they say would deepen social discontent and erode public trust in the justice system.
Specifically, the group demanded that all pending treasonable-felony and terrorism charges against the 11 protesters be quashed, all political prisoners freed, and reparations paid to victims of alleged police brutality during past protests which observers say resulted in dozens of deaths and hundreds of arbitrary detentions across multiple states.
They also called on international human-rights bodies to monitor the situation and pressure Nigerian authorities to respect constitutional rights to assembly, expression, and dissent. The group urged labour unions, youth organisations, and civil-society actors to mobilise for solidarity actions should the government fail to accede.
The demand adds a new dimension to a broader national debate about governance, protest rights, and state response to dissent at a time when economic hardship and public frustration remain high for many Nigerians.
By Dalena Reporters — Rights & Governance Desk