#EndBadGovernance Protest: Atiku, Obi condemn detention, prosecution of minors
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, have condemned the detention and prosecution of some minors for allegedly participating in the #EndBadGovernance protest.
They were brought by the Nigerian police for arraignment on Friday, with some of them fainting before Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The suspects, 75 in number between the ages of 12 and 15, were charged with 10 counts of terrorism, an attempt to overthrow the government, and alleged mutiny over their participation in the nationwide protest.
Justice Egwuatu granted bail to 67 of the 76 minors that were arraigned to the tune of N10m each.
They were allegedly arrested on August 3rd and had since been in detention before today.
Reacting to the incident in a separate statements on their respective X handles, both Atiku and Obi described it as disturbing.
“The horrible scene reminiscent of a Nazi concentration camp once again reflects the low premium the current government places on the lives of the vulnerable, especially children.
“For emphasis, Section 11 of the Child’s Rights Act guarantees dignity of the child. It states that, “Every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly, no child shall be ‐ (a) subjected to physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment, including sexual abuse; (b) subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” Atiku’s post read in part.
The ex-Vice President said he finds it “reprehensible that a man who claims to have fought for Nigeria’s democracy and had led protests now demonises those who decide to demonstrate against the effects of his harsh and draconian policies.”
He noted that “children who are the most affected by these policies have every right to protest peacefully, as guaranteed by the Constitution and the Child Rights Act.”
“A nation can be assessed by the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens. It is saddening that even underage children are not spared from the wickedness of T Pain,” Atiku added.
On his part said that looking at the children, they were poorly handled despite being in the custody of the federal government of Nigeria.
“The offense being alleged against these suspects, including minors, is protesting against bad governance that was directly affecting their livelihood and which our constitution under a democratic dispensation guarantees them.
“Curiously, most of the people in government today leveraged this aspect of the Constitution standing as champions of good governance while in opposition,” Obi wrote.
He added, “Moreover, our status presumes that suspects deserve some dignity, even in a correctional home as human beings. The reason why we should all be concerned about a situation like this is because we are part of a global community where human dignity should be respected.
“May I appreciate the presiding lordship for halting the trial and saving the country further embarrassment it would have been to the World as a democratic nation?”
The ex-Anambra governor called on the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation, the Police, and the DSS, as well as the National Human Rights Commission, to thoroughly investigate such “inhuman treatment of minors to avert such incidents in the future.”
