Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi has condemned the viral video of some malnourished children who were arraigned in court on Friday in connection with their participation in the #EndBadGovernance protests.
The children were arraigned before a federal high court in Abuja on a 10-count charge involving treason, but a mild drama played out when some of them started slumping in court.
The suspects are said to have been in custody since August, when the protests took place, and they were arrested.
Reacting to the development, Obi described the happening as disturbing. He submitted that from their look, the children were poorly handled in custody.
The former Anambra State Governor said suspects deserve to be treated with dignity even as the nation’s laws presume them innocent until found guilty by a court.
He, therefore, called on the judge to halt what he described as an embarrassment.
Taking to his account on the X platform, Obi wrote: “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 being 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. -PO”