By Elias Nnamdi
As freed demonstrators recount their three-month ordeal in jail, police deny mistreatment.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s reprieve on Monday, a number of minors, ages 14 to 17, who were detained during the statewide #EndBadGovernance demonstrations against the nation’s misery in August, have talked about their terrifying experiences while in detention.
The Inspector-General of Police arraigned 76 suspects, including 32 minors, who were detained during the protest on Friday on 10 counts that included treason, intent to destabilize Nigeria, and inciting mutiny by calling for the military to overthrow President Tinubu’s government, among other offenses.During court hearings before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court’s Abuja division, four of the children, who appeared to be severely emaciated, passed out.
It caused a national uproar, with rights advocates and civil society organizations accusing the government and police of mistreating the children from the states of Kano and Kaduna.
Following the commotion, Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, informed State House correspondents at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja during an emergency briefing on Monday that President Tinubu had ordered the immediate release of all the kids.As a result, the police charges against the demonstrators were dismissed by the Abuja High Court in Abuja.
“Directed that all law enforcement agents involved in the arrest and the legal processes will be investigated, and if any infractions are found to have been committed by any official of Government, be it a law enforcement agency or whoever that person may be appropriate, disciplinary action will be taken against him or her,” Idris added.
Before delivering the minors to Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and his Kaduna counterpart, Uba Sani, on Tuesday, Vice President Kashim Shettima contended that President Tinubu’s humanitarian decision—despite evidence of wrongdoing—was a chance for individual change.
Minors narrate ordeal Those from from Kano have been kept at the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, where they are being checked and treated by a team of medical personnel.
They are expected to remain in the hospital for five days, before they would be reunited with their families.Speaking Tuesday night at the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, where they were transported on their way back to Kano, some of them said that the government authorities had been depriving them of food for days.
One of the children, 15-year-old Umar Ali, stated, “We saw hell; we suffered a lot.” On occasion, we went three days without eating. Additionally, there was never enough food provided to us.Ali denied taking part in the demonstration, claiming he was detained on route to Kwana Hudu market in the state’s Ungoggo Local Government Area, where he typically works odd jobs to make ends meet.
He went on to say that some of them were impacted when they went to trial because they were kept in the dark when they were being held.
Some of us were unable to see well when we were taken to the court because we were kept in an area that rarely saw sunlight,” he claimed.Ibrahim Aliyu Musa, another kid who was moved from Kano to Abuja the day following his arrest, claimed that he and other children were held in the same facility as seasoned criminals.I was one among the people housed alongside seasoned criminals, and occasionally we went several days without eating.The food was insufficient and tasteless, so it was nothing to brag about. They gave us rice for lunch, gabza for dinner, and beans in the morning. Because there are so many prisoners, Gabza is typically ready for them. In order to keep our bodies and souls functioning, we had to eat gabza,” Musa continued.
A 13-year-old child also described his experience, claiming that he was arrested at Gadon Kaya in the Gwale Local Government Area and that he was suspected of waving the Russian flag, which he disputed.”I was taken into custody on August 15 and relocated to Abuja the next day.
” We were detained at Abuja’s Abattoir SARS. For the duration of our stay, we were housed with seasoned criminals,” he claimed.
