Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has urged the Federal Government to reintegrate and enrol all minors arrested during the #EndBadGovernance protests in school.
On Friday, 76 suspects, mostly minors who appeared malnourished, were arraigned in connection with the protests. Six of them collapsed and were rushed out of the courtroom.
Following public outrage over the incident, President Bola Tinubu ordered the case against the minors to be withdrawn on Monday.
While reviewing a book titled Judiciary Terrorism by Richard Akinnola in Abuja on Tuesday, Falana stated that the government was too embarrassed to bring another group, including 29 minors, to court after Friday’s public outcry.
Falana vowed to take the Federal Government to court if the minors were not sent to school, insisting that withdrawing the case was insufficient.
He said, “Just this morning before this programme began, I was in the courts here in Abuja, where 119 Nigerians, including twenty-nine minors, were brought to court. But the government was so ashamed that it couldn’t bring them into the courtroom, unlike last week.
“The government came to court this morning to withdraw the frivolous charges, so the young people have been freed.
“But as I told the court, it’s not enough to terminate this trial. These young people, who should have been in school during the protests, must be rehabilitated by the government. And we will ensure they are rehabilitated and sent to school.
“If the government fails, we will take the matter to court. It is the government’s responsibility, under the Child Rights Act, which has been adopted and enacted by all states of the Federation. Section 15 of this law stipulates that every child in Nigeria shall receive free and compulsory education from primary to secondary school.”
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Hassan Kukah, stated that the worst period in the country’s history was over and urged citizens to remain united.
He noted that many issues arise in the country because citizens do not understand what it means to be without a nation.
Kukah encouraged citizens to consider places like Gaza and Lebanon and to stop turning against one another.
Kukah said, “We might assume, and I believe, that the worst times in our history are behind us. But let us remain together always because what we have is precious.
“This is an extraordinary country, and people have sacrificed their lives for it. I remind Nigerians that we’re fortunate, as we don’t know what it’s like to be without a nation.
“What did the people of Gaza do? What did the people of Lebanon do?
What did the people of Valencia do? We are hearing stories of earthquakes and devastating events that are taking hundreds of thousands of lives daily.
“But here in Nigeria, we are the ones collectively harming ourselves. Moving forward, the most important thing for you as a Christian is to develop a spirit of forgiveness and understand that nothing happens beyond God’s divine will.”
