Tinubu orders the release of all detained minors

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the release of all minors detained for their alleged involvement in the August #EndBadGovernance protests.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the president’s directive comes in the wake of criticism of the treatment of the juveniles after three of them and an adult fainted while being arraigned in court last week in Abuja.

The presidential directive was disclosed on Monday by the Minister of Information and National Guidance, Mohammed Idris, while briefing State House correspondents after meeting the president.

“The President has ordered the immediate release of all minors who have been arrested by the police, notwithstanding any existing legal processes,” Mr Idris said.

He said the president also directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to look into the welfare of the minors and ensure their reunification with their families.

He also announced that the government would form a committee to investigate the conduct of all officials involved, and anyone found in violation of the law would face disciplinary action.

It is unclear whether such people to be investigated include the police, prosecutors and police officers who held the minors in custody for several weeks, as well as the judge who approved their detention even though he knew they were minors.

conviction

Although the police defended the trial of the minors, many Nigerians and human rights organizations condemned their detention for several weeks and their ongoing trial in a regular court rather than a juvenile court.

The court last Friday granted bail to the 76 accused, including about 52 minors, on strict conditions, including the provision of N10 million sureties each.

In its reaction, Amnesty International said it condemned in the strongest terms how the Nigerian authorities used strict bail conditions to justify the arbitrary detention of minors.

The international human rights organization said the children should not have been detained in the first place. “With millions on the brink of starvation, widespread malnutrition and deep poverty, President Bola Tinubu’s government should urgently address widespread hunger and rapidly declining living standards, instead of prioritizing punishing protesters,” the group wrote on X.

Also, the Socio-Economic Rights and Responsibility Project (SERAP), described Friday’s trial of children as a “brutal targeting of protesters”.

“It is an attempt by the Nigerian authorities to instill fear, avoid scrutiny, deny citizens their fundamental rights and reinforce a culture of impunity in the country. Nigeria deserves more than this.

“The Tinubu administration must promptly investigate the apparent mistreatment of #EndBadGovernance protesters in prison and prosecute those responsible. The administration must immediately and unconditionally release the detainees and drop all charges against them,” the nonprofit called.

Initial interventions

Earlier, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, ordered the Nigerian Police to hand over the file of the 76 defendants.

“I just realized that the police have arraigned those arrested in connection with the violent protest against bad governance in court for various offenses including treason.

“There are some issues that my office will need to look into on this matter to enable me to make an informed decision,” Mr Fagbemi said.

Also, the country’s ministry of women’s affairs announced on Saturday that the case of the 52 minors is being reviewed and work is being done to transfer it to a juvenile court to ensure prompt justice as required by law.

The ministry also said it is working to provide psychological counseling for the children once they are released, as well as accessible educational opportunities.

But the president’s directive means that minors will no longer be tried for their role in the protests.

The #EndBadGovernance protest

Protesters took to the streets in the country’s major cities between August 1 and 10 to protest economic hardship and bad governance.

The protesters blamed Mr of Tinubu economic policies including the removal of oil subsidies and the floating of the naira.

The #EndBadGovernance protests sought policy reversal.

Protests turned violent in some states, leading to police arresting suspects. However, even in places like Abuja, where the protests were peaceful, the police stopped the protesters using tear gas and batons and physically assaulted many of them, including journalists.

Police also arrested many of the protesters and said a British man was wanted for allegedly sponsoring the protests.

Many Nigerians and rights organizations condemned the police for their actions. The convictions intensified after police went to court in August to obtain detention orders for the 76 people.

Separately, in September, police charged 10 people over the protests, accusing them of conspiring with British socialist Andrew Wynee to topple President Bola Tinubu’s administration. All the accused have denied any wrongdoing.