ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Monday ordered the immediate release of 29 children facing the death penalty after they were charged for allegedly taking part in protests against the worst cost of living crisis in a generation.
Under mounting pressure from activists, Tinubu also led an investigation into the law enforcement officials involved in the arrest and prosecution of the minors, Nigeria’s Information Minister Mohammed Idris told reporters in the capital Abuja. They are not expected to be released until Tuesday by court order.
The children, who had been held since August, were among more than 70 people indicted Friday on charges of treason, destruction of property and mutiny following the August protests that rocked the country and culminated in the killing of some demonstrators by security officers and arresting hundreds.
Four of the minors, aged between 14 and 17, collapsed from exhaustion when brought to court last week. Most of the others looked malnourished and lost as they huddled together in the dock, while the rest sat on the ground.
There was no news of their detention until they were brought to trial, sparking outrage and renewed concerns about deteriorating human rights in Africa’s most populous country.
A local court imposed strict conditions and granted the children bail of 10 million naira ($5,900) each, which none of them could meet.
It is still not clear whether the children participated in the protests by Nigerians as they faced increasing hardship as a result of the government’s economic policies aimed at cutting costs and boosting the ailing economy. stabilize.
They were unlawfully detained and endured “horrific experiences,” according to the Nigerian office of Amnesty International, one of several rights groups demanding the children’s release.
The arrest of children “exposed significant deficiencies in our criminal justice system, especially the juvenile justice system, pointing to systemic problems that fail to protect the rights of minors,” said Funke Adeoye, founder of Hope Behind Bars Africa, a nonprofit organization that fought for their rights. edition. ____
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