Peter Obi Reacts as Tinubu's Govt Arraigns Several Child Protesters: “We Should All Be Concerned”

• Peter Obi has called on relevant authorities in Nigeria to thoroughly investigate "the inhumane treatment" of minors in Abuja
• Specifically, Obi made the call to the minister of justice and the attorney general of the federation (AGF), the police, and the Department of State Services (DSS), as well as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
• According to the presidential hopeful, Nigerian authorities must "avert such incidents in the future"

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering public affairs and governance.

FCT, Abuja - Peter Obi has berated the Bola Tinubu-led government for arraigning minors who participated in the 'End Bad Governance' protest before the court.

Legit.ng had reported that a federal high court sitting in Abuja arraigned 76 detained 'End Bad Governance' protesters which mostly included malnourished minors.

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Justice Obiora Egwuatu granted the minors bail of N10 million each out of the 76 arraigned for participating in the August 2024 'End Bad Governance' protests.

Reacting, Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, pointed out that the scenes are "disturbing and condemnable". The former Anambra governor also alleged poor treatment of the children in custody.

Obi said in a statement:

"The offence 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.

"Moreover, our status presumes that suspects deserve some dignity, even in a correctional home as human beings.

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"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."

Analyst condemns trial of minors for treason

Meanwhile, a socio-political analyst, Segun Akinleye, condemned the detention of minors for participating in protests against hunger and bad governance, demanding their immediate release.

Akinleye criticised the Tinubu government’s handling of the minors, describing it as "a ploy to terrorise Nigerians".

He told Legit.ng:

"Lots of minors who were part of the 'End Bad Governance in Nigeria' protest were arrested on charges of alleged terrorism.

"To me, this is a ploy by the Tinubu administration to terrorise Nigerians starting with the most vulnerable. They want to criminalise protests. That should not be accepted"

Sani tells Tinubu to withdraw charges against minors

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, urged the federal government led by President Tinubu to immediately withdraw the charges slammed against minors who participated in the August 1-10, 2024, nationwide protest.

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Sani in a post shared on his X page, described the development as "unfortunate and shameful."

Source: Legit.ng