Chaos broke out in a federal high court in Abuja on Friday when several children, allegedly involved in the #EndBadGovernance protests, collapsed while waiting to be arraigned. The court had scheduled the arraignment of the defendants, mostly minors, who had been detained for three months.
As proceedings began, the children, who appeared ill and malnourished, were called forward to enter their pleas. Due to limited space in the dock, some huddled together while others stood outside. Suddenly, four of the children rushed out of the courtroom and collapsed, writhing in pain.
The presiding judge, Obiora Egwuatu, had to abruptly adjourn the session to restore order in the courtroom. When the court reconvened, the prosecution requested that the names of the four ill children be removed from the charge, which was granted, and the remaining defendants were arraigned.
The 76 defendants, arrested in various states including Abuja, Kaduna, Gombe, Jos, Katsina, and Kano, face accusations of treason and other offenses in connection with the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests that took place from August 1–10. The protesters had demanded a reduction in the cost of governance, a return to the petrol subsidy regime, food security, and fiscal discipline, among other issues.
The demonstrations turned violent in some parts of the country, resulting in incidents of looting and vandalism. Following the protests, the police announced the arrest of alleged perpetrators in several states. On September 2, ten protesters were arraigned before another Abuja federal high court judge, Emeka Nwite, while the Jigawa state government reported prosecuting 403 individuals in connection with the protests.
The collapse of the detained minors during their arraignment has raised concerns about their health and the conditions under which they have been held for the past three months. The incident has also drawn attention to the broader issues surrounding the treatment of protesters and the handling of their cases by the Nigerian justice system.