Abuja. 29 minor teenagers have been accused for taking part in protests against the rampant rising inflation in Nigeria and if found guilty in this case, they can be given the death penalty. Four of the teenagers had fallen unconscious due to exhaustion before they could present their arguments in court. According to the charge sheet seen by the news agency ‘Associated Press’, a total of 76 protesters were charged with 10 felony charges, including treason, destruction of property, rioting and rebellion, for demonstrating against the skyrocketing inflation in Nigeria. .
According to the charge sheet, the age of the minors is between 14 and 17 years. The rising cost of living in Nigeria has led to mass demonstrations in recent months. At least 20 people were shot dead and hundreds were arrested during protests in August demanding better opportunities and jobs for youth. Capital punishment 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. “Therefore, it is wrong to present the minors before the Federal High Court,” Balogun said. Marshall Abubakar, a lawyer representing some of the teenagers involved in the protest, said the court eventually granted bail to each of the defendants and imposed harsh punishment on them. Conditions have been imposed. “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.
