The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has condemned the inhumane treatment of minors involved in the #EndBadGovernance protests in August.
Obi in a series of posts on his X handle urged the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, the police, the DSS, and the National Human Rights Commission to conduct a thorough investigation into the treatment of these minors.
Daily Trust reports that there was a mild drama on Friday at a Federal High Court in Abuja as no fewer than four children, among the 76 defendants, billed for arraignment over their involvement in the August #EndBadGovernance protest held across the country, collapsed during their trial.
Daily Trust also reports that the protest, which began on August 1 to demand for good governance, ended on August 10, leading to the arrest of the protesters in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Gombe.
The protest also resulted in violence and killings in some parts of the country.
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The Inspector-General of Police had earlier charged 11 of the protesters before Justice Emeka Nwite of a sister court on alleged treason, intent to destabilise Nigeria, conspiracy to commit felony and inciting mutiny, among others, which are punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code.
Obi, however, on his X handle posts lamented the development.
“I just watched the disturbing and condemnable scenes captured in a circulating video, showing 124 protesters, among them minors, appearing in court today as part of efforts to secure the enforcement of their fundamental rights.
“The footage reveals minors, some so weak that they could barely stand, others fainting from sheer exhaustion and lack of nourishment. These children appeared visibly malnourished and starved, a condition that should alarm the conscience of every citizen in our nation.
“From their look, they were poorly handled despite being in the custody of the federal government of Nigeria,” Obi wrote.
He said that the offence preferred against the suspects, including minors, was protesting against bad governance that was directly affecting their livelihood and which the constitution under a democratic dispensation guarantees them.
He noted that curiously, most of the people in government had leveraged this aspect of the constitution, standing as champions of good governance while in opposition.
He said, “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.”
He also commended the presiding judge for halting the trial.
“I would like to call on relevant authorities, especially 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,” Obi said.
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