EndBadGovernance Protesters: Amnesty Int'l Fumes, Tells Tinubu to Free Detained Minors Without Delay

• Amnesty International criticized Tinubu's government for detaining 12 minors post-#EndBadGovernance protests, calling it an "abuse of power"
• The group urged immediate release, noting child detentions breach Nigerian and international human rights laws
• Amnesty warned the minors could face false charges, highlighting the government’s troubling stance on assembly rights

Amnesty International has issued a sharp condemnation of the Tinubu-led government's detention of minors in the wake of protests that erupted in August 2024.

Legit.ng recalls that protests in August, dubbed #EndBadGovernance, saw thousands of Nigerian youths demonstrating against rising hunger, corruption, and economic hardship, which they attributed to poor governance by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

However, in what seemed like a shock to all, security forces responded by arresting scores of protesters, including at least 12 minors who were detained for simply being in the vicinity of the protests.

On Friday, November 1, the police arraigned some EndBadGovernance protesters, who were mostly minor and malnourished.

In a viral video, one of the minors fainted while standing trial before the federal high court in Abuja on Friday, November 1.

The incident forced the judge to leave the courtroom while lawyers rushed the victim to the court clinic.

Reacting to the continued incaceration of these minors under the watch of President Tinubu, Amnesty International, in a tweet via X on Friday, 1 November, called for their immediate and unconditional release.

Amnesty: Detention of children is shocking, attack on rights

The international rights group criticized the government’s crackdown on young demonstrators, particularly the detention of minors, as a blatant abuse of power.

“Putting minors through these horrifying detentions for participating in protests against hunger and corruption is — so far — one of the deadliest attempts to suppress freedom of assembly.

“President Bola Tinubu must act now to release these children unconditionally," the rights group demanded.

They argued that the detainment of minors undermines the government’s obligations under Nigerian and international human rights law, which prohibits the unlawful detention of children.

President Tinubu was also urged to prioritize the rights of these children, who “have their entire lives ahead of them and should not be subjected to unjust imprisonment.”

Plight of the detained minors

Speaking on the pitiful plights of the arrested minors, Amnesty International said 12 children under the age of 16 were detained in Katsina after being found near the protests.

The group noted that the young detainees face the threat of criminal charges despite their lack of direct involvement in any unlawful acts.

“These children are now at risk of facing trumped-up charges in a justice system that is already overburdened and lacking in transparency.

“The continued detention of these minors reflects a deeply troubling approach to human rights by the Nigerian government.” said Amnesty International said.

Shehu Sani tells Tinubu to withdraw charges against detained minors

In a related development, Legit.ng reported that former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani urged the federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately withdraw the charges slammed against minors who participated in the August 1-10, 2024, nationwide protest.

Shehu Sani in a post shared on his X page on Friday, described the development as "unfortunate and shameful."