Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has lambasted the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government over the illegal detention of malnourished minors.
The Bureau Newspaper had earlier reported that some of the 32 minors who are among peaceful protesters being detained over #EndBadGovernance protests collapsed in Abuja Federal High Court on Friday during their arraignment.
They were arraigned for alleged treason by participating in August’s 10 days nationwide protests against hunger and bad governance.
Reacting to videos of the collapsed minors, Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, said that Tinubu’s wickedness could not allow him spare children who were protesting against his “harsh and draconian” policies in the country.
Atiku in a post on X said that the horrible scene of the collapsed malnourished minors in court reminiscent of a Nazi concentration camp, which is a reflection of the low premium Tinubu-led government places on the lives of the vulnerable, especially children.
The former Vice President noted that it is reprehensible that President Tinubu who claims to have fought for Nigeria’s democracy and had led protests now demonises those who decide to demonstrate against the effects of his harsh and draconian policies.
He wrote, “A disturbing video of malnourished children being arraigned before a Federal High Court on the orders of the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has been brought to my notice.
“The horrible scene reminiscent of a Nazi concentration camp once again reflects the low premium the current government places on the lives of the vulnerable, especially children.
“For emphasis, Section 11 of the Child’s Rights Act guarantees dignity of the child.”
According to him, the Section 11 of the Child’s Rights Act states, “Every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly, no child shall be ‐ (a) subjected to physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment, including sexual abuse; (b) subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Atiku further stated, “The children are being prosecuted for their alleged role in the #EndBadGovernance protests, which took place between August 1 and August 10, 2024.
“If they are just being arraigned three months later, one can only imagine the sort of dehumanizing conditions they had been subjected to and have been detained all this while.
“I find it reprehensible that a man who claims to have fought for Nigeria’s democracy and had led protests now demonises those who decide to demonstrate against the effects of his harsh and draconian policies.”
He stressed that children who are the most affected by Tinubu’s harsh policies have every right to protest peacefully, as guaranteed by the Constitution and the Child Rights Act.
He noted, “A nation can be assessed by the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens. It is saddening that even underage children are not spared from the wickedness of T-Pain.
“The disturbing condition under which the alleged accused children were brought to court projects the very justification for their participation in the protest in the first place.”
