Minors standing trial in court
The arraignments of 76 people including minors for treason for participating in #EndBadgovernance has been widely condemned both inside and outside the country as the most significant exemplification of the total disregard for the rule of law, fundamental human rights and a sign of the growing dictatorship.
For us at NATIONAL WAVES, the arraignments have demonstrated wanton disdain for the rights of the minors , and to have detained protesters for close to three months and later charged them for demonstrating against hunger and inhuman economic policies of the current administration is the height of shambolic, show of shame.
That many Nigerians and international human rights bodies have condemned the arraignments is a credence to the weight of the matter.
Civil society organisations, including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Amnesty International, and the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, have condemned the act.
It could be recalled that the Nigeria Police arrested over a thousand protesters nationwide in August, following protests held between the 1st and the 10th of August 2024, demanding an end to the hardships and hunger caused by the policies of the Tinubu administration.
Among the 76 protesters arraigned were some minors, who appeared visibly malnourished after spending months in detention. One of the minors collapsed in court before being provided with biscuits and water.
This sham trial for us is a big dent on the so-called democratic antecedent of the president, and may have called in question about his long peregrination in pro democracy , progressive camp.
We call on President Bola Tinubu to bring to book those behind the remand and Friday’s arraignment of the minors arrested during the end bad governance protest in Abuja.
It’s our considered view that those behind the embarrassing act should be made to account for the shame they have brought to the nation.
The action of those behind the arraignment of the minors and the health condition they presented in court have sparked outrage both within and outside the country; have really got many Nigerians angry.
The government officials behind the act should be called into question and be made to explain to Nigerians and the entire world why the minors were kept in detention beyond the constitutionally stipulated time.
Whatever the sins of these children why keep them in detention beyond the constitutionally stipulated time?
It would seem the shame was too much for this government and Nigeria and it has become a topical issue in the international community.
The logical thing to do is for President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action against those behind the national shame. Children were detained and left unfed leading to many of them being severely malnourished. They failed to ensure that they were well fed and taken care of. It was an unconscionable embarrassment to the country.
We also call for the termination of the action against the children and the government should immediately commence the process of rehabilitating them before sending them back to their parents.”
Human rights organisation Amnesty International also condemned the treason trial of minors protesting against hunger under Mr Tinubu’s administration.
“The 114 protesters arraigned today at the Federal High Court, Abuja, have done nothing unlawful and do not deserve the horrifying treatment they have endured since their arrest. Among the 76 protesters arraigned in the first group today, the majority are minors, and the collapse of four in the courtroom underscores the poor state of their mental and physical health. Subjecting minors to such horrifying detention for demanding good governance reveals the government’s clear determination to crush dissent,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Friday.
This newspaper does not support violence, arson and destruction of public property, but to charge protesting minors for treason is a miscarriage of justice, and even more horrible as it comes from a party and administration that often lays claims to democratic credentials.
Instead of arresting and arraigning peaceful protesters, the administration should address the underlying causes of the peaceful protests with a view to nailing future action in the bud. This is the most reasonable thing to do.
Every government should be concerned about legacy and the verdict of history.
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