Malnourished Minors Detained for #EndBadGovernance Protests Return to Prison Due to Unmet Bail Conditions
This comes after the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, granted bail to 76 protesters, including the minors, but with stringent conditions that proved difficult to meet.
The court had granted N10 million bail to each adult protester but required the parents of the minors to take their children on bail.
However, Deji Adeyanju, one of the counsels to the protesters, lamented that the bail conditions were impossible to fulfil, leading to the minors being taken back into prison custody.
Several organizations, including the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), have condemned the detention and reported maltreatment of the minors.
CISLAC’s Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, expressed deep concerns over the alarming reports of detained children, some under 15, collapsing due to malnutrition inside the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The minors have been held since August by the Nigerian police after participating in protests against worsening insecurity and deprivation in the country. CISLAC has called on Senator Oluremi Tinubu to intervene, urging her to see these young detainees as “her own children.”
The Ongoing Struggle for Justice
The #EndBadGovernance protests began in response to President Bola Tinubu’s policies, which critics argue have exacerbated insecurity and economic hardship in Nigeria. The protests have been met with resistance from the government, leading to the detention of numerous protesters, including minors.
Subsequently, Nigerians are calling for an end to the suppression of dissenting voices and the immediate release of the detained protesters.
The international community is also urged to pay attention to the developments in Nigeria and advocate for the protection of human rights.
