SERAP Urges Tinubu to Free Detained #EndBadGovernance Protesters

Kehinde Fajobi

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to use his “leadership position and good offices” to secure the “immediate and unconditional release” of detained #EndBadGovernance protesters, including “32 hungry and malnourished children.”

SERAP asked Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to address the protesters’ plight, stating they are “detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights.”

SERAP, in an open letter dated 2 November 2024, also urged Tinubu to “promptly investigate the circumstances surrounding the grave violations of the human rights of the children and other protesters,” to hold accountable those responsible, and to provide medical care for the detained, especially the “32 hungry, malnourished children.”

SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, who signed the letter, expressed concern for the children’s well-being and said they “ought to be in school, and not languishing in detention.”

The letter highlighted the appalling prison conditions in Nigeria, noting that “the ill-treatment of the protesters… has shined a light on the appalling conditions in Nigeria’s prisons which continue to put lives at risk.”

SERAP explained that detaining children “simply for the peaceful exercise of their human rights is clearly not acting in the ‘best interests of the child’.”

The letter continued, “We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 48 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter.

“If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.”

SERAP warned that Nigeria’s criminal justice system should not be “weaponised to curtail the rights of the children and other protesters to liberty, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly.”

They emphasised that the protesters’ “right to life, health, and safety” must be upheld, adding, “The conditions in which these children and other protesters are being detained are utterly inadequate and substantially below international standards.”

SERAP underscored Nigeria’s duty under international law to ensure the rights of children are respected, including “life, liberty, education and development, as well as to be treated in a manner consistent with the promotion of the child’s sense of dignity and worth.”

Citing reports that “76 #EndBadGovernance protesters including 32 children, were recently arraigned in court” for their role in protests across Nigeria, SERAP noted the detainees, held for three months, had collapsed in court due to poor health.

It stated, “Four children/young persons collapsed on the courtroom floor, writhing in pain before being removed to get medical help.”

SERAP’s letter was also sent to Dr. Matthew Gillett, Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, asserting that such detentions discourage free speech, creating “a climate of fear” that limits other Nigerians’ willingness to exercise their rights.

The rights group insisted, “Children’s ability to engage in political and public affairs depends largely on the extent to which their rights are respected, protected and fulfilled.”

It further pointed to Nigeria’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN’s Nelson Mandela Rules for the treatment of prisoners, demanding “appropriate food, water, and medical care” for detained persons, especially children.