By Praise Chinecherem
Vivacious Development Initiative (VIDI), a pro-children, Women, and Girls’ rights group, has condemned what it described the unlawful detention and arraignment of Nigerian minors, allegedly involved in the August 1 protest in the country.
Recall that on November 1, 2024, over three months after they were arrested, the minors were arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja, looking frail, unhealthy and malnourished.
There was also a case of some of the children collapsing during the court session, suspectedly as a result of malnutrition.
Reacting to the development, the Executive Director of Vivacious Development Initiative (VIDI), Amb. Onyinyechi Nwosu said her organization was deeply appalled by the recent arraignment of severely malnourished minors at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
“These minors, detained for an unprecedented 93 days under intolerable conditions, appeared in court visibly frail, with some collapsing due to exhaustion and malnutrition.
“The arraignment took place in full public view, in violation of both national and international child protection laws,” she observed.
Nwosu insisted that the act represents a grievous violation of the Child Rights Act, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and international conventions including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
These frameworks, she said, collectively uphold that no child shall be subjected to inhumane treatment, nor be tried alongside adults and that all child offenders must be tried within specialized family courts designed to safeguard their well-being and dignity.
She described the trial as a national disgrace and an incident that brings to light serious gaps in the Nigerian justice and child welfare systems.
The VIDI boss also said the act represents not just a failure of governmental bodies to protect the Nigerian child, but also a stark reminder of the urgent need for reforms in juvenile justice protocols.
The group called on the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to immediately release these minors to appropriate child protection services, to conduct an independent investigation into the unlawful detention and arraignment procedures to enforce the Child Rights Act, and to establish measures to prevent future violations.
It assured that it will continue to collaborate with child-focused organizations, legal entities, and human rights advocates to pursue justice for these minors and ensure no child in Nigeria suffers such inhumane treatment.
“We demand accountability and reform within law enforcement and judicial systems and call on the government to uphold Nigeria’s commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of every child,” she stressed.
