National leader of the Labour Party (LP) and presidential candidate of the party in the February 25, 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has excoriated the federal government for the poor handling of protesters, especially the minors among them, brought to the court Friday (today, November 1) under degrading conditions.
Insisting that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic, as amended, allows the people to protest against bad governance negatively impacting their lives, more so in a democratic dispensation, Obi, in a post on his X handle today, called on relevant authorities in the land to investigate the horrendous incident, which he described as an embarrassment to the country in the eyes of the world.
“I just watched the disturbing and condemnable scenes captured in a circulating video, showing 124 protesters—among them minors—appearing in court today as part of efforts to secure the enforcement of their fundamental rights.
“The footage reveals minors, some so weak that they could barely stand, others fainting from sheer exhaustion and lack of nourishment. These children appeared visibly malnourished and starved—a condition that should alarm the conscience of every citizen in our nation.
“From their look, they were poorly handled despite being in the custody of the federal government of Nigeria.
“The offense alleged against these suspects, including minors, is protesting against bad governance that was directly affecting their livelihood and which our constitution under a democratic dispensation guarantees them. Curiously, most of the people in government today leveraged this aspect of the Constitution standing as champions of good governance while in opposition.
“Moreover, our status presumes that suspects deserve some dignity, even in a correctional home as human beings.
“The reason why we should all be concerned about a situation like this is because we are part of a global community where human dignity should be respected.
“May I appreciate the presiding lordship for halting the trial and saving the country further embarrassment it would have been to the world as a democratic nation?
“I would like to call on relevant authorities, especially the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation, the Police, and the DSS, as well as the National Human Rights Commission, to thoroughly investigate such inhuman treatment of minors to avert such incidents in the future.”
