Former Kaduna State Senator Shehu Sani has raised strong objections over the continued detention of minors involved in the #EndBadGovernance protests. In a tweet on Friday, Sani questioned the rationale behind their prolonged detention, describing them as children the age of “our children and grandchildren.” He appealed to the federal government for their immediate release, stating, “What can be gained by detaining these poor children for months? I urge the FG to set them free.”
Since August, the minors have been held by the Nigeria Police Force, and they appeared in Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday morning, visibly weakened from their time in detention. Sources reported that several of the detained minors fainted in the courtroom as they were brought in from various police detention centers, including those managed by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
A source told SaharaReporters, “Some of them fainted in court due to mistreatment and lack of food for days.” The source suggested that the children were subjected to hunger as a means of punishment, despite merely exercising their rights.
Images from the courtroom showed the distressing situation, with some of the young protesters lying on the floor as others tried to help them. A lawyer in the courtroom was seen attempting to revive one protester who had collapsed in the dock.
Their detention was sanctioned by Justice Emeka Nwite, who approved an ex-parte request from the police to detain the minors for 60 days as part of an investigation into the protests. These protests were directed at highlighting the economic hardships and insecurity that many attribute to President Bola Tinubu’s policies.
On Thursday, a coalition called the Network of Abuja Left Groups demanded the immediate release of 76 protesters, including 32 minors. The group condemned the government’s approach as an oppressive tactic to silence dissent and emphasized that the protests represent a peaceful response to the economic struggles faced by millions of Nigerians.
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