Amnesty International, a human rights group, has called on the Federal Government for the immediate release of the detained minors nabbed during the #EndBadGovernance protest held in August.
Recall that protesters gathered on the streets across Nigeria for 10 days between August 1 and August 10, 2024, over the hardship in the land.
During the demonstrations, some protesters were arrested in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Gombe, among other states.
The New Daily Prime reported that 79 minors were charged to the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday with an N10 million bail grant.
At the court, four minors slumped when they were called to take their plea in the dock.
However, the viral video circulated online has sparked a lot of reaction, showing the reaction of social media activist Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, who, too, was recently released from detention.
VeryDarkMan alleged that he and some of the children were locked up in the same cell when he was still in detention.
Being moved by the detention of the minors, Amnesty International described their detention as illegal.
The organization stated, “Amnesty International condemns President Bola Tinubu’s government for the continued detention of minors for participating in the August #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.
“The attempts to put the minors through a sham trial over alleged ‘treason’ show the government’s utter disregard for the rule of law. The authorities must release them immediately and unconditionally.”
“Putting minors through these horrifying detentions for participating in protests against hunger and corruption is — so far — one of the deadliest attempts to suppress freedom of assembly. President Bola Tinubu must unconditionally release minors detained since August.
“In Katsina, at least 12 children under 16 years old were detained. The children ended up in detention for just being on the streets during the #EndBadGovernance protests. Children with their whole lives ahead of them are now at the risk of being tried on trumped-up charges.
“Right now charges of treasonable felony are being read to another group of 43 protesters in the same Federal High Court Abuja. The Nigerian authorities are only escalating attempts to deprive people of the right to peaceful protests through horrifying detentions and sham trials.
“The government of President Bola Tinubu must uphold the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed human rights of everyone in the country — including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. All protesters currently on trial or detained must be released.
”The Nigerian authorities detained these minors unlawfully — putting them through horrifying experiences — for exercising their right to peaceful protest. The government must release them all — immediately and unconditionally.”
By Helen Okechukwu
