Fatima Muhammad, mother to two of di minors wey di Nigeria goment arraign for court on Friday, 1 November tok say, her children no follow for any protest but dem bin dey go market wen police arrest dem.
At least thirty two, out of di 114 pipo wey police arraign bifor Justice Obiora Egwuatu of di Federal High Court Abuja, na minors wey neva reach 18-year-old.
Di Nigeria goment accuse dem of treason, felony, destruction of goment property plus oda offences wey include say dem bin dey wave Russian flags and dey shout ‘Tinubu must go’.
Treason na ogbonge crime for Nigeria and e carry di death penalty.
Mrs Muhammadu tell BBC Pidgin say her two pikin neva reach 16-year-old, and she get anoda boy wey be like her pikin wey police also arrest on Sunday, 4 August 2024, wey be di fourth day of di ‘End Bad Governance’ protest wey happen across di kontri.
“I send my children go phone market for Kano wen police arrest dem. Dem dey waka wen police raid di area and carry dem join, even though dem no follow pipo wey dey raise Russian flag.”
“I fit swear wit my life say my boys no join anytin wey concern waving Russian flag for Kano or follow for di protest.”
“By di time police arrest dem, di protest for Kano don already finish, so my pikin dem no do any bad tin.”
Her children names na Ibrahim Rabi’u and Jamilu Haruna and Umar Yunusa.
“I look for dem everi wia but I no find dem. Na afta 11pm police call me say dem don arrest my pikins.”
“Dat day, I cry sotee my eyes dey pain me bicos one of dem bin dey sick and police no allow make we see dem.”
“Wen we go to di police dem tell us say dem don take dem to prison and wen we go prison dem tell us say dem take dem back to di police station.”
Now wey di police don carry her children come Abuja, Fatima don temporarily relocate too, but she no get anybody wey go help her.
“Since I come Abuja, I dey sleep for motor garage or mosque, even food I no get money to buy, na pipo dey buy me food and dey give me sometimes,” she tok.
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Who be dis minors?
Di total number of protesters wey di police carry come court dat day na 118, but dem divide dem for two batches of 76 and 42.
Dem later comot di name of four pipo wey bin collapse for court, remaining 114 suspects.
According to di charge sheet of di first batch of 76 defendants, 32 of dem dey below di age of 18; three 14 years, five dey 15 years old, 11 dey 16-year-old, and 13 dey 17-year-old.
Here na dia names:
- Umar Musa – 15
- Muhammadu Mustapha – 16
- Ibrahim Rabiu – 16
- Amir Muhammed – 17
- Umar Ali – 17
- Muhammed Musa – 14
- Sani Aliyu – 17
- Tasiu Lawal – 16
- Jamilu Haruna – 16
- Abdullahi Suleiman – 16
- Bilal Auwalu – 15
- Abubakar Adam – 16
- Suleiman Ali – 16
- Sani Hassan Idris – 17
- Abdulaziz Adam Abubakar – 15
- Usman Sirajo – 16
- Mukhtar Yahaya – 17
- Umar Abdullahi – 17
- Salisu Adamu – 16
- Habibu Sani – 17
- Sadiq Sanusi – 15
- Ibrahim Sani – 17
- Mustapha Kabir – 16
- Saifullahi Mohammed – 17
- Hassan Mohammed – 17
- Mustapha Abubakar – 17
- Sanusi Nura – 14
- Musa Ishaku – 17
- Abdulrahman Ibrahim – 17
- Abdulganiu Musa – 15
- Muhammed Yahaya – 14
- Muktar Ishak Alhassan – 16
Also, di suspects allegedly commit di crime for di FCT, Kaduna State, and Kano States. Na from dis three locations, police take arrest dem.
Wetin be dia crime?
Di ‘End Bad Governance’ protest wey happen nationwide for Nigeria from August 1 to 10 bin dey planned as a peaceful protest, sake of economic difficulty and high cost of living wey pipo dey face.
But for some states for di northern region, di protest later turn violent as angry mobs break enta inside goment and private buildings, destroy properties and loot anytin dem fit lay dia hands on.
Also, videos show as some of di protesters bin carry Russian flags as dem dey waka for streets.
Some of di allegations inside di ten charges wey police sama on top di alleged protesters head include:
- Acting in concert and wit intent to destabilise Nigeria
- Attacking and injuring police officers
- Burning police stations, High Court complex, NCC (Nigeria Communication Commission) complex, Kano Printing Press, Goment House Kano, NURTW office and other buildings
- Inciting to mutiny by calling make military take ova power from President Tinubu, by shouting ‘Tinubu must go’
- Rioting and disturbing public peace
- Inciting public disturbance by carrying placards wey dem write ‘end bad governance’
- Forcing dia way into goment property and destroying public and private vehicles for dia
- Carrying Russian flags and chanting violent songs
- Damaging NCC office and carrying away doors, windows, charis, etc from dia
- Wearing, carrying and displaying Russian flags, and chanting violent revolutionary songs, dey call for Russian invasion of Nigerian sovereign entity to topple di democratic goment of Nigeria”
All of dem plead not guilty to di charges, and Justice Egwuatu later grant dem bail in di sum of N10 million and two sureties.
Minors fit dey tried for treason?
Di constitution of Nigeria tok say adult na anybody wey don reach 18 years old. Dis one mean say anybody wey dey below 18 na minor.
However, in relation to criminal prosecution, di Criminal Code Act reduce di years wey pesin fit face criminal trial to 12-years-old.
Di law presume say by di age of 12, pesin don suppose develop di mental capacity to distinguish between right and wrong.
Even person wey dey below 12 years but above seven years old, fit face criminal prosecution if di prosecutor fit prove to di court say di pesin bin know wetin im dey do wen e commit di crime.
Precedence dey for dis case in di matter of Yusuf Musa vs Jigawa State in 2022.
For dat case, di Supreme Court rule say one eleven-year old minor wey bin machete pesin several times and kill am, dey guilty of culpable homicide even though di boy neva reach 12 years old dat time.
However, section 452 of di Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), no permit for minors to be tried inside adult courts, according to human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong.
Dat section say: “Where a child dey alleged to don commit offence, di provisions of di Child Rights Act go apply”.
And di Child Rights Act, for article 204 tok say: “No child suppose dey subjected to di criminal justice process or to criminal sanctions, but a child wey dey alleged to don commit criminal offence go dey subjected only to di child justice system”.
Treason na capital offence for Nigeria, dis mean to say if dem find pesin guilty, di court fit sentence di pesin to death.
However, article 221(c) of di Child Rights Act tok say “No child suppose dey subjected to di death penalty or, have di death penalty recorded against him”.
Di law provide say if a child dey guilty of attempted to commit treason, murder, robbery or manslaughter, or say di child wunjure anoda pesin wit intent to do grievous harm, di court fit order di child to dey detained for a place and condition wey di court go order, but no be imprisonment dem go call am, rather “legal custody”.
Wetin police tok
Afta di arraignment on Friday, police lawyer Rimazonte Ezekiel tell tori pipo say di boys no be minors but rather “all of dem na adults. Most of dem na married men”.
Later, police tok-tok pesin Muyiwa Adejobi tok say di suspects wey collapse and faint for court na “deliberate and scripted” action “to draw negative attention”.
PRESS RELEASE
UPHOLDING RULE OF LAW: NIGERIA POLICE FORCE ENSURES DUE PROCESS AND COMPASSION IN HANDLING 76 SUSPECTS
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has recently arraigned 76 individuals in court on charges including terrorism, arson, and treasonable felony. These serious… pic.twitter.com/hvbYDjIAZY
— Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) November 2, 2024
Northern govnors react
Some govnors of some states in northern Nigeria don criticise di arraignment of di minors, and dem demand for dia immediate release.
Bala Mohammed, di govnor of Bauchi State and chairman of di Northern Governors Forum, post one statement on Facebook wia he also condemn di N10 million bail wey di Abuja high court judge grant to di suspects.
“How pesin wey neva eat three times a day go fit pay N10 million as bail?” e ask.
“Di condition of hunger and malnutrition wey show for di children body don expose wetin pipo dey go through for di hands of security agents for inside detention facilities e add.
Similarly, former govnor of Kano State Rabiu Kwankwaso tok say e shock to see how di children don dey subjected to “cruel experience wen dem suppose dey for school”.
“I dey call on di Federal Government to face di challenges of banditry, kidnapping, Boko Haram, lack of stable electricity and excruciating economic policies rather dan putting children behind bars,” e tok.
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