A Nigerian court freed 119 people including minors on Tuesday, after the authorities dropped charges against them arising from deadly protests in August against economic hardship.
The accused had faced charges including treason and inciting a military coup, and had been arraigned in batches of 76 and 43 last Friday.
One of the charges carried the death penalty.
"The case has been struck out and the 119 protesters have been released," according to Deji Adeyanju, counsel to the protesters.
"Now we are asking for their rehabilitation and compensation by their various state governments."
The country's attorney general took over the case from the police and dropped the charges after bringing forward the matter due to be heard in January.
Presidential order
On Monday, President Bola Tinubu ordered the release of all minors detained during anti-government protests in August, and dropped the charges against them.
Information Minister Mohammed Idriss said that President Tinubu had directed the police chief to free the 40 minors remanded in custody after their trials began this month.
"[The] President has ordered the immediate release of all minors arrested by the police," he told journalists in the capital Abuja.
The minors were arrested by the police and charged with treasonable offenses of intending to destabilise the country and inciting mutiny following their participation in nationwide End Bad Governance protests this August.
Amnesty International said at least 22 people died during the demonstrations in clashes with security forces.
Health issues
Some of the minors collapsed in court in Abuja on Monday, fuelling condemnation by civil society groups, bar organisations and the general public.
A rights group said the minors have been held since August by the Nigerian police after participating in protests against worsening insecurity and deprivation in the country.
Scenes of young Nigerians fainting while in court over their involvement in widespread anti-government protests have sparked controversy over detention conditions and police violence.
Social media was awash with videos showing several youths, likely underage, sitting or lying on the courtroom floor, holding their stomachs while half-faint.
The clips generated backlash from both politicians and civil society.
"The footage reveals minors, some so weak that they could barely stand, others fainting from sheer exhaustion and lack of nourishment," said politician Peter Obi, who unsuccessfully contested the 2023 presidential election.
"These children appeared visibly malnourished and starved," he wrote on X.
(with wires)
