The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and Amnesty International Nigeria have asked President Bola Tinubu to release all the 75 people arraigned over their involvement in the August #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.
This is as the two bodies condemned the ongoing detention of minors involved in the protests.
Recall that in August 2024, Nigerian youths took to the streets to protest against the hardships, hunger, and poor governance that have plagued the country.
The Nigerian security forces arrested many protesters with 76 individuals arraigned in court on Friday (today).
It was gathered that during the proceedings, one minor among the group collapsed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Reacting, SERAP took to its official X handle to denounce the detention, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release the protesters and drop all charges of ‘treasonable felony’ against them.
“The Tinubu administration must unconditionally release the 76 #EndBadGovernance protesters and drop all charges of ‘treasonable felony’ against them, or face legal action. No one should ever be punished for the peaceful exercise of their human rights,” the group tweeted.
It also faulted the government’s actions as an attempt to instil fear, evade scrutiny, deny citizens their fundamental rights, and entrench a culture of impunity in Nigeria.
Corroborating, Amnesty International also denounced the arrest and detention of the minors.
It urged the Nigerian government to release all detained individuals, emphasizing the importance of upholding constitutional and internationally guaranteed human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“Amnesty International condemns President Bola Tinubu’s government for the continued detention of minors who participated in the August #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests. The attempts to subject these minors to a sham trial over alleged ‘treason’ demonstrate the government’s utter disregard for the rule of law. Authorities must release them immediately and unconditionally,” they stated.