Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, has expressed outrage over the treatment of seventy-six protesters from the #EndBadGovernance movement, who appeared for arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday.
The protesters, who have been detained since August, face a ten-count charge including alleged treason and conspiracy to destabilize Nigeria under sections 96 and 97 of the Penal Code Act.
Concerns were raised in court as several of the detained protesters appeared visibly malnourished, with four minors reportedly so weak they needed immediate medical assistance.
In a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi described the scenes as “disturbing and condemnable.”
He noted that the protesters, including minors, showed signs of severe malnutrition and exhaustion.
“These children appeared visibly malnourished and starved—a condition that should alarm the conscience of every citizen in our nation,” Obi stated.
The footage of the court session circulating online shows detainees appearing weak, with some of the younger protesters struggling to stand.
Obi criticized the government’s handling of these individuals, particularly the minors, who he noted had merely exercised their democratic right to protest.
He stated, “The offense 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.”
Obi also pointed out the irony that many of the current leaders in government had once championed similar constitutional rights while in opposition. He called on the authorities to uphold the dignity of detainees, saying, “Our status presumes that suspects deserve some dignity, even in a correctional home as human beings.”
Acknowledging the court’s decision to suspend the trial, Obi thanked the presiding Justice Obiora Egwuatu for halting proceedings to prevent further embarrassment to Nigeria on the world stage.
“May I appreciate the presiding lordship for halting the trial and saving the country further embarrassment it would have been to the World as a democratic nation?” he remarked.
Obi concluded his statement by urging the Minister of Justice, the Attorney General of the Federation, the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the treatment of these minors and prevent similar incidents in the future.