THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned the continued detention and trial of minors allegedly involved in the #EndBadGovernance protests.
In a statement, on Saturday, November 3, the Association President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, urged the Federal Government to either release the minors or transfer them to facilities closer to their families.
Osigwe, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) while expressing concern over the conditions under which the minors are being held, described it as damaging to Nigeria’s reputation and reflective of broader issues in the country’s criminal justice system.
He added that images of malnourished children appearing in court serve as an indictment of how the justice system treats detainees before trial.
The ICIR reports that during the #EndBadGovernance protests, which drew thousands of Nigerians to the streets in a movement advocating for governmental transparency, accountability, and an end to police brutality, several young protesters were arrested and detained. Among those detained were minors, reportedly held in various facilities under challenging conditions.
Recall that, the minors who appeared in court on Friday, November 1, are being slammed with a 10-count charge bordering on alleged treason, as well as conspiracy to commit a felony with intent to destabilise Nigeria, an offence contrary to Section 96 and punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Act.
The ICIR reports how many Nigerians raised concerns regarding the severity of the charges, the due process afforded to the defendants, and the potential infringement on the rights of minors involved.
Many took to social media to condemn the handling of the protests and urge the government to ensure justice.
The incident was heightened when some minors, who were among 76 persons set to be arraigned by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), collapsed in the court on Friday, October 1.
One of the defendants, a minor who is under 18 years old, slumped while the judge was reading the charges.
The boy was taken to the court’s clinic with the lawyers present in the courtroom.
Reacting to this, the NBA president urged that, should the government proceed with charges, the minors should be transferred back to their original communities, where families can better arrange legal support and provide the emotional support necessary for the trial process.
Osigwe stressed that proximity to family is crucial, especially in such cases, to ensure detainees’ rights are respected and to allow families to advocate on their behalf.
“This does not make us look good at all. It makes the credence of our correctional facilities and our pre-trial detention condition questionable and deplorable and portrays a negative image of us in the international community.
“Every effort must be made, either to release them (suspects) immediately on account of their long period of incarceration and be reunited with their families or if the Federal Government insists on trying them, they should be returned to the places where they were arrested, so that they will be close to their families and their families will be able to arrange for legal services for them and also be close to them and be able to follow the trial.
“It does not speak well of our criminal justice system that such children, looking malnourished, are being charged, showing that we have treated them poorly before their trial in court.” – Mazi Afam Osigwe, wrote.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M