The lawyer to the underaged children the President Bola Tinubu-led administration arraigned in court for protesting against bad governance in Nigeria has recounted how he subbed profusely when the minors were remanded in prison.
They were taken to the Kuje Prison after failing to meet their bail conditions.
Investors King had reported that the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, granted bail to 76 protesters who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest held in August 2024.
While the court granted each of the defendants N10 million bail for the adult protesters, the court demanded the parents of the minors to take their children on bail.
However, the children could not perfect their bail conditions as their parents were not close at hand.
One of the Counsels to the protesters, Deji Adeyanju, said he wept when the children who had earlier collapsed in court were whisked to the Correctional facility.
He lamented that stringent bail conditions the court imposed on the protesters who have been in custody since August, have led to the taking them back to prison custody.
He wrote on his X handle, “All the children have been taken to Kuje Prison because it is difficult to meet their bail conditions. I didn’t know when I started crying in court today.”
Several groups including the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) had condemned the detention and reported maltreatment of minors involved in the #EndBadGovernance protests in Nigeria.
The organisations had expressed deep concerns following alarming reports that several detained children, some under the age of 15, collapsed due to malnutrition inside the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Other prominent political figures in Nigeria have condemned the arraignment and incarceration of minors, calling on President Bola Tinubu to release them immediately.