Release ‘Malnourished’ Minors Facing Treason Charges Over Hunger Protest, HURIWA Begs Tinubu

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged President Bola Tinubu to order the release of minors among 76 persons arraigned by the Nigeria police for participating in the EndBadGovernance protest that recently held across the country.

Making the plea in a statement on Friday, HURIWA’s national cordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the actions of the police detaining the minors under clearly excruciating circumstances for over 80 days and arraigning them looking malnourished, has depicted Nigeria as a nation that has no respect for the fundamental rights of children.

“The question that most people around the world would be asking is whether Nigeria has degenerated to the level of lawless Burma in East Asia whereby the human rights of the citizens are neither protected or promoted.

“This show of shame has also exposed Nigeria as a nation that goes to the United Nations to declare that it has abolished torture but the minors who were brought to court have created the opposite impression about the commitment of Nigeria to abolish tortures of all ramifications.

Today is definitely a very sad day for Nigeria,” said the group.

“The United Nations subcommittee on Prevention of Torture which reportedly visited Nigeria in September, would definitely need to revisit Nigeria and spend adequate time to verify the massive and callous applications of tortures in the different state administered detention centres all around the Country and then take strong measures to compel the government of Nigeria to abolish tortures comprehensively, ” it added.

The group described media reports on how one of the minors slumped in court before arraignment as a blight on human conscience.

It urged President Tinubu to swiftly order the release, rehabilitation and rehabilitation of the minors and ensure that they are sent to school or workshops to learn economically empowering skills.

The group added, “criticism aside, we as human rights practitioners, are urging the President, as a Parent himself, to reflect on the long-term global opprobrium, humiliation and disrespect to Nigeria’s global image,

“We are saying let the bygones be bygones and the President should immediately release these children and order the federal ministry of women affairs to enrol them in schools or vocational training institutions to be trained in different self-sustaining opportunities and skills and supported to live normal life and contribute meaningfully to the development of Nigeria.”