Nigeria Police Force, NPF under the leadership of Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun has confirmed that unspecified numbers of minors or children below the constitutional age of 18 years are among the large numbers of protesters the Federal Government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently trying for treason after they were arrested and detained since August 2024 for protesting against hunger and Bad Governance In Nigeria with some of them sewing and waving Russia flags to express their grievances or opinions against the government and life threatening economic situation in the West Africa country.

The IGP, speaking through the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Friday in an Interview with Private Television Station in Nigeria, Channels Television, said the least among the protesters arraigned was 13 years old, adding that, children below 18 years of age can be arrested and prosecuted for criminal offence as far as they are not less than seven years old.

”Once you are more than 7 years old, you can be charged to court.  None of them is less than 7. The fact that you are 13 years old does not mean you can’t be charged to court”, Olumuyiwa Adejobi stated.

Olumuyiwa added that the children were arraigned for violent protests and flying Russia flags in Nigeria, an allegation that has been disputed by many people in the society on the ground that many hotels and companies hoist foreign flags in Nigeria.

Some observers said flying foreign flags in a country can only become a crime if the country is in war with the country the hoisted flag or flags symbolically hold allegiance to.

Then the person or persons can be seen as enemy or enemies of his own country working against his own country which is treasonable.

We are not aware if Nigeria is in war with Russia. And the action of the protesters were mere expression of their feelings or opinions. And the police is yet to state if the protesters matched action with words in the course of their investigation.

The Police authority’s confirmation that minors are among the protesters arraigned for treason over the End bad governance protest in August 2024 in Nigeria contradicted the statement made by the Federal Government Prosecution counsel who had during interview with newsmen on Friday at the Court Premisses claimed that all the suspects were adults and the little children seen around them were their relatives.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has stepped into the legal proceedings surrounding the recent arraignment of the EndBadGovernance protesters, by directing the Nigeria Police Force to transfer the case file to his office for review.

The protest, which culminated in multiple arrests, saw suspects arraigned in court on charges of treason and others, according to Punch Newspaper.

Fagbemi in a statement on Friday, said the move was prompted by the need to examine the case more closely before taking any further action.

“There are some issues my office will need to look into regarding the matter to enable me to take an informed decision,” Fagbemi said.

The court had remanded the defendants in various detention centres and set a hearing date for January.

Fagbemi acknowledged the court’s authority in the matter, emphasising, “It is not within my power to vary the order of the court remanding the defendants in detention centres and adjourning the case to January.”

To expedite proceedings, however, the AGF announced plans to request for an earlier hearing.

“I have directed the Nigeria Police to transfer the case file to my office and hand over [the] same to the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) tomorrow, Saturday, 2nd November 2024,” he stated.

Fagbemi further instructed the DPPF to make preparations to appeal to the court for a revised, sooner hearing date. “I have directed the DPPF to immediately put machinery in motion for consideration of the court to bring the adjournment date forward,” he added.

At the Federal High Court in Abuja some minors, who were
arraigned over the EndBadGovernance protest, collapsed in the courtroom, with many appearing visibly malnourished following their three months of incarceration.

Following their arraignment the court granted each minor ₦10 million bail.

Peter Obi, former Anambra State Governor  and Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the last general elections in Nigeria in a statement on Friday said: “I just watched the disturbing and condemnable scenes captured in a circulating video, showing 124 protesters—among them minors—appearing in court today as part of efforts to secure the enforcement of their fundamental rights.

The footage reveals minors, some so weak that they could barely stand, others fainting from sheer exhaustion and lack of nourishment. These children appeared visibly malnourished and starved—a condition that should alarm the conscience of every citizen in our nation.

From their look, they were poorly handled despite being in the custody of the federal government of Nigeria.

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. 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.

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.

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?

I would like to call on relevant authorities, especially the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation, the Police, and the DSS, as well as the National Human Rights Commission, to thoroughly investigate such inhuman treatment of minors to avert such incidents in the future”, Peter Obi said.

Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President of Nigeria and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP presidential candidate in the last conclused general elections in Nigeria, reacted on Friday by saying; “A disturbing video of malnourished children being arraigned before a Federal High Court on the orders of the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has been brought to my notice.

The horrible scene reminiscent of a Nazi concentration camp once again reflects the low premium the current government places on the lives of the vulnerable, especially children.

For emphasis, Section 11 of the Child’s Rights Act guarantees dignity of the child.

It states that, “Every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly, no child shall be ‐  (a) subjected to physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment, including sexual abuse; (b) subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

The children are being prosecuted for their alleged role in the EndBadGovernance protests, which took place between August 1 and August 10, 2024. If they are just being arraigned three months later, one can only imagine the sort of dehumanizing conditions they had been subjected to and have been detained all this while.

I find it reprehensible that a man who claims to have fought for Nigeria’s democracy and had led protests now demonises those who decide to demonstrate against the effects of his harsh and draconian policies.

Children who are the most affected by these policies have every right to protest peacefully, as guaranteed by the Constitution and the Child Rights Act. A nation can be assessed by the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens. It is saddening that even underage children are not spared from the wickedness of T Pain.

The disturbing condition under which the alleged accused children were brought to court projects the very justification for their participation in the protest in the first place”, Atiku Abubakar stated.

Amnesty International also in a statement on Friday said: “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”.