Minors’ collapse saga: Any lessons?

Viewed from a broad national perspective, the recent release of the 76 #EndBadGovernance protesters, who are minors, by the federal government, after a nationwide outrage sparked off by the collapse of four of them at an Abuja High Court while on trial for treason has brought to the public sphere some pertinent issues with regards to our nationhood. It has indeed shown the failure of the family unit; the failure of delivering quality education to our youths, the failure of the correct upbringing of our children to have any form of allegiance to Nigeria as a nation.  Beyond that, it also exhibited the gross lack of the political capacity of the Nigerian leaders to strike the delicate balance between morality and the dispensation of justice.

It would be recalled that the minors were apprehended during the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest in Kano, Abuja, Gombe, Jos and Katsina states on August 2, 2024, and charged with treason, for flying the Russian flag and also turning the protest violent.  Subsequently, the court decided, in response to public outcry to grant the defendants bail in the sum of N10 million each, as the prosecutor asked that the names of the four minors who collapsed be removed from the charges.

Ever since the ugly incident has elicited a wave of condemnation from concerned Nigerians from within and outside the country. For instance, while Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a barrister representing Kogi State Central Senatorial and District described it as “inhumane and unjust”, Obi Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, in her letter to President Ahmed Tinubu, stated, “Here is the sordid evidence of the Nigerian government punishing your citizens for daring to tell you the truth of #EndBadGovernance by your administration.” On her part, the Yoruba Nollywood actress, Bukola Arugba openly decried the incident by stating,” I find this appalling and annoying.” On her part, the Founder I-A Foundation, Ibironke Adeagbo pleaded with the federal government to show restraint in the trial of the minors.

Though the former governor of Kano state, Rabiu Kwankwaso slammed the federal government through a sarcastic statement urging it to, “Face the challenges of banditry, kidnapping, Boko Haram rather than putting children behind bars,” there is more to the dehumanizing incident that deserves a critical insight. On his part, the legal luminary and the one who stood in defence of the maltreated minors, Femi Falana called for both compensation for the voiceless victims and their integration into the education system by being sponsored to school. Well stated.

This calls for sober reflection for us all parents, teachers, religious leaders and of course political decision-makers – to learn some hard and bitter lessons from all that transpired between the #EndBadGovernance protests in August and this moment.

We cannot but ask for the unveiling of the masterminds who pushed the minors to the rowdy streets and armed them with the flag of a foreign country, Russia, to be precise. Has that any linkage whatsoever to the neighbouring Republic of Niger, which in partnership with Mali and Burkina Faso, has links with Russia and exited the Economic Community of West Africa?

Meanwhile, UNICEF raised concern about the scary figure of 69% out-of-school children in Nigeria, numbering up to 15.23 million in northern Nigeria. The World Food Program (WFP) also stated that an estimated 4.4 million malnourished children, all under the tender age of 5 years are from the northern geo-political zone.

This should be food for thought for the northern governors, senators, religious leaders, heads and members of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) down to the local government chairmen.

The detention and manhandling of the minors also brought up some legal misinterpretations. Despite the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigerian Police, Muyiwa Ogunjobi insisting that once a citizen is beyond the age of seven years, the fellow can be charged to court for criminal acts, some lawyers have their interpretations.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan called on the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to investigate the detention order granted by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja. According to her, children should be tried in a juvenile court and their identities protected, not displayed or publicized, as has been done. She also called on the Controller of Prisons, Haliru Nababa to investigate the detention conditions, arguing that the Kuje Medium Security Custodian Centre is not designed for the detention of children.

One cannot but align with this position on the premise that there is the need to strike the needed balance between legality and the protection of the sanctity of human life. So, much as one appreciates the directive given by the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi for the police to transfer the case file to his office, and hand it over to the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), as well as moving the adjournment date from January next year to an earlier date, one is pleased to note that Mister President bowed to the call of concerned Nigerians.

To prevent a repeat of this querulous incident of youths being drafted into protests they know little about, parents, teachers, and religious and political leaders should deploy the Root Cause Analytical Approach to finding lasting solutions to the issue. That brings up the all-important questions. As a parent, am I providing for the feeding, education and general welfare of my children, and wards as and when due? Do I guide them with a moral compass and monitor their movements?  As a teacher, am I providing them with quality education? As a religious leader, am I mentoring the youths on the solid path of the fear of God and treating others as we would want them to treat us? Credible answers to these all-important questions would go a long way towards building a Nigeria of the dream of our Founding Fathers.

All said, it is not enough for the Founder of the Coalition of the Northern Youth Group, to ask President Tinubu to prosecute the police behind the arrest of the minors. Now is the time for the northern leaders to mitigate the swirling waves of malnutrition, out-of-school syndrome and youth restiveness. Also important is for the government to admit to its faults. As Ezekwesili rightly noted, “No one can ever solve a problem they deny or refuse to own up to.” Prevention through good governance would be better than cure.