Kehinde Fajobi
Amnesty International has called on the Federal Government to immediately release minors detained since August for participating in #EndBadGovernance protests.
The arrests and subsequent detention of these youths, which included several underage individuals, have stirred widespread outrage, with images and videos from the court proceedings circulating online.
Four of the detained—Usman Fatihu (21), Muhammed Yahaya (14), Muktar Ishak Alhassan (16), and Mustapha Ibrahim (18)—collapsed in court while attempting to enter pleas.
Their visibly weakened condition intensified public concern over the treatment of those in detention.
In a statement condemning the government’s actions, Amnesty International declared, “Amnesty International condemns President Bola Tinubu’s government for the continued detention of minors for participating in the August #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.
“The attempts to put the minors through a sham trial over alleged ‘treason’ shows the government’s utter disregard for the rule of law. The authorities must release them immediately and unconditionally.”
Amnesty criticised the treatment of the minors, describing it as “one of the deadliest attempts to suppress freedom of assembly.”
The organisation highlighted that “in Katsina, at least 12 children under 16-years-old were detained simply for being on the streets during the protests.”
According to Amnesty, these minors, “with their whole lives ahead of them, are now at risk of being tried on trumped-up charges.”
Amnesty further noted that “right now charges of treasonable felony are being read to another group of 43 protesters in the same Federal High Court in Abuja. The Nigerian authorities are only escalating attempts to deprive people the right to peaceful protests through horrifying detentions and sham trials.”
Calling on President Tinubu’s administration to respect fundamental human rights, Amnesty stated, “The government of President Bola Tinubu must uphold the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed human rights of everyone in the country — including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. All protesters currently on trial or detained must be released.”
Reaffirming its demand for the release of those held in connection with the protests, Amnesty concluded, “The Nigerian authorities detained these minors unlawfully — putting them through horrifying experiences — for exercising their right to peaceful protest. Government must release them all — immediately and unconditionally.”