Kenneth Okonkwo, a prominent member of the Labour Party, has called on President Bola Tinubu to apologize and provide compensation to the minors who were arraigned in connection with the #EndBadGovernance protest.
Okonkwo made this statement during an interview with Arise Television on Tuesday.
The nationwide protest, which took place from August 1-10, resulted in the arrest and arraignment of several protesters, including minors.
This sparked widespread outrage, prompting Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to withdraw charges against the minors on Monday.
Subsequently, a Federal High Court in Abuja struck out the suit against 119 persons allegedly involved in the protest on Tuesday.
Okonkwo however emphasized that the charges and prosecution processes were unjust.
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“The President has to apologize to those children and compensate them adequately. It was very wrong. The charges were wrong. The process of detaining them was wrong. The process of arraigning them was wrong,” he stated.
Human rights organizations have also condemned the Nigerian government’s actions, citing disregard for the right to freedom of assembly.
Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, Isa Sanusi, noted that detaining protesters since August and charging them with offenses like treasonable felony and terrorism-related offenses demonstrates the government’s utter disregard for human rights.
The minors were released and received by Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the State House.
Okonkwo’s demand for apology and compensation echoes the sentiments of many Nigerians who are seeking justice for the minors.
