Kehinde Fajobi
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has strongly criticised the arraignment of 76 protesters, including minors, who were detained after the recent #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.
The development has drawn widespread condemnation, with videos surfacing of the minors, visibly malnourished, in court.
The defendants, arrested by the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, were arraigned last Friday before Justice Obiora Egwuatu at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The minors face charges including treason, incitement to mutiny, and calling for the military to remove President Bola Tinubu.
During the court appearance, four defendants collapsed while attempting to enter the dock, prompting assistance from lawyers and prison officers.
Chief George called the treatment of the detained minors “absolutely despicable” and “disgraceful.”
He added, “It is absolutely despicable, very wicked. These kids are underage; if they are members of their family, would they do that to them? It’s utterly disgraceful. How can we be so wicked? We’ve left every sense of decency and humanity.”
George questioned why the Inspector-General of Police had allowed the minors to be detained and brought to court, rather than directing appropriate juvenile measures.
“Why would the IGP not direct somebody to revoke that? They had to be detained in a cell and then brought to court, to do what? Don’t we have juvenile court? What’s going on here? Does it mean we’ve lost every sense of decency as a nation?” he asked.
“I detest it and would continue to detest it. It’s inhumane. It’s disgraceful,” George added in his statement to Punch on Sunday night.
Reflecting on the underlying issues, George linked the current unrest to flaws in the electoral process, particularly criticising the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he termed as “mismanagement.”
“The major issue of disappointment in the country now is that INEC is not doing their job,” he asserted.
“If they’re doing their job properly, and we know if we go through the electoral process, it is fair, the right people would be managing the government and then they would know they derive their power from the people.”
He pointed out that when election results are manipulated, individuals who do not have the people’s mandate end up in power.
“When you have an election, they manipulate the results manually and all kinds of things; so people who are not voted for emerge as the manager of the country. So how do we get the right thing?” George asked.
George stated that the supervision of elections in Nigeria must be “fair, just, and equitable,” noting these as essential pillars of a stable government.
He further emphasised that if elected officials truly felt accountable to the people, they would focus on public welfare instead of “fighting for their pocket.”
Meanwhile, #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria organisers have reiterated their commitment to the protests, vowing to continue pushing back against the country’s deteriorating conditions.
Despite treason charges against protesters, organisers declared that they will not relent until the government prioritises Nigerians’ welfare.
Given the current situation, they stated, Nigerians “should be sleeping on the streets” in protest.