A charity group based in the UK, Ibironke Adeagbo Foundation (IA-F), has pleaded with the Nigerian government to show restraint in the case of some minors arraigned for allegedly participating in an anti-government protest last August.
The Founder of IA-Foundation, Mrs Ibironke Adeagbo, made the appeal on Sunday in Abuja, while reacting to the nationwide outcry over the arraignment of the minors in a Federal High Court in Abuja on Nov. 1.
The minors, four of whom collapsed in court during their arraignment were among 76 people arraigned for participating in the EndBadGovernance protests in some cities in Northern Nigeria on Aug. 2.
“IA-Foundation is deeply concerned about the arrest and prolonged detention of 76 individuals, including 27 minors, who were participating in the EndBadGovernance protest,’’ Adeagbo stated.
IA- Foundation which has been active in Nigeria over the years has been campaigning for Nigeria’s huge army of out-of-school children to be given opportunities to return to classrooms.
Citing reports, Adeagbo said that people arrested during the protests had been held for over 90 days without appropriate consideration for their age and wellbeing.
“We urge the government to immediately conduct dental age assessments on all the detained children to determine their ages.
“If the detainees are confirmed to be under 18, they should be transferred to juvenile correctional facilities as stipulated by law.
“Furthermore, these minors should be granted access to education while in detention as required by Section 250 of the Child Rights Act.’’
Adeagbo pointed out that the Act explicitly mandates that detained children should not be deprived of their right to education.
“It is apparent from the children’s malnourished condition that their basic needs have not been adequately met during their detention,’’ she noted.
Adeagbo argued that one of the root causes of the kids participating in the protest was due largely to a lack of access to education, which made them vulnerable and available to participate in the protests.
“We urge government to provide immediate educational opportunities to those who are out-of-school in various states of the federation.
“These children deserve a fair chance to a better future. Denying them education will further perpetuate the circle of disadvantages and vulnerabilities facing them,’’ she said.
IA-Foundation was founded on Jan. 30, 2019 with a focus to ginger the government, corporate bodies and individuals to find a lasting solution to the problem of out-of-school children in Nigeria.
Africa’s most populous nation currently has an army of out-of-school children, standing at about 18.3 million – the highest in the world, according to estimates by UN agencies.
