Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Friday expressed concerns over viral videos showing malnourished teenagers brought before a Federal High Court, a sight he compared to “the infamous Nazi concentration camp.”
In a statement issued by his media team in Abuja, Atiku described the scene as a severe violation of the Child Rights Act, particularly Section 11, which protects children from physical, mental, and emotional harm, as well as from torture and inhumane treatment.
“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,” he said.
“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,” the former vice president added.
Atiku argued that the children have every constitutional right to protest peacefully, as protected under the Child Rights Act.
He lamented, “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,” Atiku said.
At least 76 #EndBadGovernance protesters were arraigned before Justice Obiora Egwuatum. These individuals were detained during the August 1-10 nationwide protests sparked by widespread economic hardship.
The protests saw Nigerians in cities like Abuja, Kaduna, Gombe, Jos, Katsina, and Kano taking to the streets to express their grievances. Authorities arrested the demonstrators, who are now facing charges of treason and other offenses.
Reports indicate that four of the detained protesters, primarily minors, were so weak they struggled to stand, prompting authorities to rush them out of the courtroom.
