In Nigeria, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have strongly condemned the detention and alleged mistreatment of malnourished minors linked to the #EndBadGovernance protests.
Concerns heightened after reports emerged that several detained children, some as young as 15, collapsed from malnutrition inside a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday. These minors have been in custody since August, detained by the Nigerian police for participating in protests against escalating insecurity and deprivation in the country.
The CSOs involved include the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Transparency International, Amnesty International, and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG). Their spokesperson, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, called for intervention from First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, urging her to regard the detained young individuals as “her own children.”
The organizations appealed to President Bola Tinubu to stop these actions from government officials, including the Minister of Justice, and to ensure the immediate release of the minors. Rafsanjani expressed, “It is alarming and damaging to Nigeria’s global reputation to witness such treatment of young citizens exercising their constitutional rights.”
He added, “The inhumane detention and treatment of these children must cease. Those who unjustly detained these minors are the true offenders, and this situation demands urgent action.”
Social media has been flooded with images and videos from the courtroom showing the distressing scenes of minors lying on the floor as lawyers and others attempted to aid them. This incident occurred when the minors were transported to court from various police detention centers, where they reportedly faced inadequate food and medical care.
Sources assert that the extended detention and harsh conditions were punitive measures against the minors, who have been accused of opposing the government without credible evidence.
The CSOs have called upon 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 tarnishes 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 contend that their detention breaches both national and international human rights standards.
