Nigeria Protest: 29 minor teenagers were accused on Friday (October 1, 2024) for taking part in protests against the skyrocketing inflation in Nigeria and if found guilty in this case, they can be given the death penalty. Before presenting their arguments in the court, four of the teenagers had fallen unconscious due to exhaustion.
These allegations including treason were made
According to the news agency Associated Press (AP) report, in the charge sheet, a total of 76 protesters were charged with 10 serious charges, including treason, destruction of property, creating disturbance and rebellion, for demonstrating against the wildly rising inflation in Nigeria. .
According to the charge sheet, the age of the minors is between 14 to 17 years. There have been large-scale demonstrations in Nigeria in recent months over inflation. At least 20 people were shot dead and hundreds were arrested during a protest in August demanding better opportunities and jobs for youth.
‘It is wrong to present minors before the High Court’
The death penalty in Nigeria was introduced in the 1970s, but no one has been sentenced to death in the country since 2016. Akintayo Balogun, a private lawyer in Abuja, said that under the Child Rights Act, no minor can be prosecuted or given death penalty, hence it would be wrong to present the minors before the Federal High Court. Is.
Marshall Abubakar, a lawyer representing some of the teenagers involved in the protests, said the court ultimately granted bail to each of the defendants and imposed strict conditions on them. “A country whose duty is to educate its children would decide to punish these children,” Abubakar said. These children have been in custody without food for 90 days.
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