Key directives Tinubu give as e order for di release of detained minors

President Bola Tinubu don order for di immediate release of all di minors police bin detain on top accuse say dem follow for di #EndBadGovernance protest wey hold across Nigeria for August.

Di Minister of Information, Muhammed Idris announce di informate for one statement on X on Tuesday, 4 November.

“President Tinubu don order di immediate release of all di minors wey currently dey face trial on top accuse say dem dey involved for di recent protest.” Di statement tok.

Di Nigerian leader also direct di Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to see to dia welfare plus make dem ensure say di safe return of all di minors to dia families.

President Tinubu has ordered the immediate release of all the minors currently facing trial for involvement in the recent protests, and also directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to see to their welfare.
The president’s directive is without…

— Mohammed Idris, FNIPR (@HMMohammedIdris) November 4, 2024

Dis directive dey come as kontri pipo dey para afta tori and foto of minors inside Abuja High Court bin trend on social media.

On Friday, November 1, 2024, di Nigeria police arraign some minors for one Federal High Court for Abuja on top accuse say dem participate for di nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.

Di police bin arraign di suspects in two batches of 76 and 42.

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.

Four of di boys bin collapse for floor as di court official bin dey read out di charges of di accused minors.

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’.

Di presiding judge bin grant each of dem N10 million bail.

Dis arraignment bin spark plenty reactions across di kontri, Many Nigerians including former presidential candidates, civil society organisations, human rights activists and regional socio-political groups bin para wen dem hear say di minors don dey for detention for ova eight weeks, since di nationwide protests against hunger and high cost of living.

As di mata dey hot, di Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, bin release one statement wey say im “office go torchlight di mata to enable am take informed decision”.

Fagbemi bin immediately direct di police to transfer di case file to im office and hand ova di same give di Director of Public Prosecution of di Federation (DPPF).

Wetin be di orders Tinubu give

Few days afta di arraignment of di minors and afta di judge grant dem N10 million bail each, President Tinubu give di following directives;

Immediate release of all di minors wey currently dey face trial on top accuse say dem dey involved for di recent protest.
Di president direct di Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to see to dia welfare.
Immediate setting up of one administrative committee, wey di Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation go head. Di committee go torchlight all di issues wey surround di arrest, detention and treatment of these minors.
President Tinubu also order di commencement of investigations into all law enforcement agents wey dey involved for di arrest of these minors, plus all those wey get hand for di associated legal processes.

Any goment officials wey dem see say break any law for dis mata go face thorough disciplinary action, presidency tok.

Wetin really happun and some of di charges

Fotos of minors inside of Abuja High Court spread for social media wen on Friday, one judge for Nigeria grant bail to each of di 114 pipo wey police bin arrest during di End Bad Governance protests for August 2024.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu grant dem di bail on top 10-count charge of treason, felony and inciting to mutiny wey di Nigeria goment sama dem.

At least 27 of di suspects na young boys wey dey below age of 18, wit some of dem as young as 14 years old.

One of di charges wey police sama dem na say di boys bin “wear, carry and display for public Russian flags, and chant violent revolutionary songs, wey dey call for Russian invasion of Nigerian sovereign entity to topple di democratic goment of Nigeria”.

Some human rights activists tell BBC Pidgin say di teenagers bin dey for custody since dat August wey police arrest dem, and e don pass 80 days now.

Goment bin don arraign 10 pipo on top di same protest mata, wey dem say na dem be di leaders and organisers, and say na dem bin dey call for di military to overthrow di goment.

During dat protest wey last from August 1 to 10, videos bin spread on social media wia pipo, children and adults dey fly Russia flag for parts of di northern region of Nigeria.

Tori dat time be say di protesters dey call on Russia to intervene for Nigeria mata.

Nigeria authorities later tok say dem don arrest di pipo wey dey fly Russian flags as di offence na treason.

Wetin di law tok about charging minors to court?

According to section 29 of di constitution of Nigeria, adult na pesin wey don reach di age of 18. Anybody under dat age na minor.

Normally, wen minor commit some kain offence, na for juvenile court dem suppose try am but no be for all offences, Chika Mbanusi, wey be legal practitioner, tell BBC Pidgin.

Section 30 of di criminal code act tok say pesin go dey criminally culpable for civil or criminal offence once di pesin don reach di age of 12 years if “e dey proved say at di time of doing di act or making di omission im get capacity to know say im no suppose to do di act or make di omission”.

Precedence dey, however, wia di Supreme Court uphold di judgement of di Jigawa State High Court and di Court of Appeal for di case of Yusuf Musa vs di State for 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.