Amnesty International, Ezekwesili Condemn Trial Of Minors By FG

International human rights organization, Amnesty International (AI) and a former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, have both condemned the trial of minors by the federal government.

Naija News reported that minors, between the ages of 12 to 15 years, were on Friday, arraigned by the Nigeria Police for alleged treason. The minors were said to have been arrested by Nigeria Police during the August hunger protest.

In a statement on Friday, Amnesty International accused President Bola Tinubu-led government of putting the minors through horrifying experiences for participating in peaceful protest.

“The Nigerian authorities detained these minors unlawfully — putting them through horrifying experiences — for exercising their right to peaceful protest. Government must release them all — immediately and unconditionally,” AI wrote on its X handle.

On her part, the human rights activist, Ezekwesili, accused the government of destroying the country’s democracy.

“Our Democracy has degraded to this barbaric depth? The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing.

“How did the Nigerian Constitution become so useless that the Nigerian Judiciary could allow such violations of the rights of these minors to happen at such egregious levels?” She asked.

The former Minister of Education called on the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to intervene and save the children.

“The NBA, where are you? What exactly is this, our dear Chief Justice of Nigeria? Can we the Citizens of Nigeria count on you for a clean sweep of this version of our Judiciary?

“These children must be swiftly released to their parents and guardians, and adequately compensated for the damages done them by the Nigerian State,” Ezekwesili stated on her X handle.