Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria have issued a strong condemnation regarding the detention and alleged mistreatment of malnourished minors associated with the #EndBadGovernance protests.
Concerns escalated after reports indicated that several detained children, some as young as 15, collapsed from malnutrition within a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday. These minors have been in custody since August, held by Nigerian police for their participation in protests against increasing insecurity and deprivation in the country.
Key organizations involved include the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Transparency International, Amnesty International, and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG). Their spokesperson, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, has called for intervention from First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, urging her to consider the detained youths as “her own children.”
The CSOs are appealing to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and halt these actions by government officials, including the Minister of Justice, and to secure the immediate release of the minors. Rafsanjani stated, “It is alarming and damaging to Nigeria’s global reputation to witness such treatment of young citizens exercising their constitutional rights.”
He further emphasized, “The inhumane detention and treatment of these children must stop. Those who unjustly detained these minors are the real offenders, and this situation requires urgent action.”
Social media has been inundated with images and videos from the courtroom, depicting distressing scenes of minors lying on the floor as lawyers and others attempted to assist them. This incident occurred when the minors were brought to court from various police detention centers, where they reportedly lacked adequate food and medical care.
Sources indicate that the prolonged detention and harsh conditions were punitive measures against the minors, who are accused of opposing the government without credible evidence.
The CSOs have called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to take decisive action in defending the rights of the detained minors. They also urged international organizations such as UNICEF, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, and Save the Children Foundation to condemn the situation and advocate for the minors’ unconditional release.
Rafsanjani stressed, “Detaining these children under such horrific conditions is unacceptable. We urge all relevant authorities to ensure their prompt release and to hold accountable those responsible for their detention. This incident undermines our national commitment to the rule of law and respect for human rights.”
The minors were initially detained following a police directive alleging their involvement in a purported scheme to destabilize the government. However, the CSOs and various human rights advocates argue that their detention violates both national and international human rights standards.
