A total of 38 individuals suspected of participating in protests against the Supreme Court’s judgment on the Nasarawa State governorship election have been sent to the Lafia Correctional Center.

They are accused of causing public disturbance and were charged before the Chief Magistrate Court three in Lafia by the state Commissioner of Police.

The arrests took place following the Supreme Court’s ruling, which led to the apprehension of several aggrieved protesters, predominantly women, by security operatives. The Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Umaru Shehu Nadada, ordered that the protesters be brought before the court on charges of public disturbance.

During the hearing, the prosecuting counsel, Danjuma Allu, requested for adjournment, and the Chief Magistrate, Mohammed Abdullahi Lanze, reserved his ruling for Monday, January 22, 2024. The defense counsel, Iliya Ashokpa, pleaded for bail on behalf of the defendants, but the request was denied.

The 38 individuals, including a man who was allegedly arrested while retrieving his vehicle from a mechanic, were subsequently transferred to the Nigeria Correctional Center in Lafia to await trial. Among the remanded protesters, there are approximately five men and thirty-three women.

The Supreme Court’s judgment, delivered on Friday, affirmed Abdullahi Sule as the rightful winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Nasarawa State. The ruling triggered protests by some aggrieved men and women in the state.