Rights Groups Condemn Arraignment of Minors in Nigeria for Treason Over #EndBadGovernance Protests

Rights groups, including National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), among others, have condemned the recent arraignment for treason of minors, who allegedly participated in the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.

NHRC, in a statement, said the arrest, detention and arraignment of the minors by the Nigeria Police on charges of treason and attempting to overthrow a legitimate government, among other charges, clearly contravened a plethora of national, regional and international laws. Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, who stated this in Abuja over the weekend, said the action of the police had raised concerns among senior lawyers and legal experts, the human rights community, development partners, sister national human rights institutions and well-meaning Nigerians.

He said it was widely considered an excessive and inappropriate use of state institutions against citizens and even worse when the victims were minors whose best interest were not considered at all in line with the law.

Ojukwu stressed the importance of ensuring that legal proceedings aligned with children’s rights as protected under Nigeria’s Child Rights Act 2003, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 (ACJA), and some regional and international legal frameworks, including the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

SERAP, on its part, urged President Bola Tinubu to use his “leadership position and good offices to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to take urgent steps to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all the #EndBadGovernance protesters including the 32 hungry and malnourished children.”

SERAP said, “These children and other protesters are detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights.”

It urged Tinubu “to direct Mr Fagbemi and appropriate law enforcement agencies to promptly investigate the circumstances surrounding the grave violations of the human rights of the children and other protesters in detention, and to identify and bring to justice those responsible, and ensure justice and remedies for the victims.”

SERAP also enjoined the president “to direct Mr Fagbemi and appropriate agencies to ensure the immediate access to medical treatment for all the protesters including the 32 hungry malnourished children for their apparently deteriorating health”.

In the open letter dated November 2, 2024 and signed by SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said, “Bringing charges against children and detaining them simply for the peaceful exercise of their human rights is clearly not acting in the ‘best interests of the child’.”

Another group, the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTiON), said it was outraged and appalled by the display of government repression that led to the unconscionable detention of 76 protesters across the nation, including 32 minors.

The group, in a statement by its Convener, Hauwa Mustapha, said the protesters were being charged with ludicrous accusations of terrorism, attempted mutiny, and treason simply for exercising their democratic right to protest against government mismanagement of the commonwealth resources, hunger and hardship.

“This alarming attempt to criminalise peaceful expression as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution, as amended, is yet another assault on the fundamental rights and freedoms of Nigerian citizens,” it said.

North East Youth Reformation Forum, while condemning the sentencing of minors arrested during the protest, expressed deep disappointment and concern over the verdict.

In a statement by its president, Comrade Abdurrazak Sani Albany, weekend, the forum called on the federal government to intervene and review the case. The group said the arrested boys were unable to feed themselves, let alone afford the hefty fine imposed on them.

Albany urged northern leaders to take action and demanded that representatives, governors, ministers, and other influential figures of northern extraction stand up for the boys’ freedom.

He also appealed to Islamic scholars and the community to pray for the children’s release.

Chuks Okocha, Michael Olugbode and Segun Awofadeji

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