Charges dropped in Abuja protest case

A judge in Abuja has dismissed charges against 35 Shiite Muslims who were among hundreds of people arrested after deadly protests in the Nigerian capital. A report on the News24 site notes that 120 members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria were charged with ‘rioting, disturbance of public peace and causing hurt’ on the outskirts of the capital in October. The 120 defendants appeared in groups of up to 35 in different courtrooms. Magistrate Musa Ibrahim dropped charges against 35 defendants because prosecutors had not turned up. The remaining defendants, who have all pleaded not guilty, were given conditional bail.