The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Nigeria’s 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar has lamented that minors were subjected to sub human conditions for daring to stand up for their fundamental rights by allegedly participating in the #EndBadGovernance2024 protests.

The former Vice President wept bitterly in a statement on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X, on Friday.

He expressed shock that the horror was being perpetrated “on the orders of the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government”.

He cited extant legal provisions guaranteeing the rights to protests and children’s rights to dignity.

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“I find it reprehensible that a man who claims to have fought for Nigeria’s democracy and had led protests now demonises those who decide to demonstrate against the effects of his harsh and draconian policies,” he added.

He made the assertions in reaction to a group of minors who collapsed at the court while being arraigned for participating in the #EndBadGovernance2024 protests in August 2024.

Atiku wrote, “A disturbing video of malnourished children being arraigned before a Federal High Court on the orders of the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has been brought to my notice.

“The horrible scene reminiscent of a Nazi concentration camp once again reflects the low premium the current government places on the lives of the vulnerable, especially children.

“For emphasis, Section 11 of the Child’s Rights Act guarantees dignity of the child.

“It states that, “Every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly, no child shall be ‐ (a) subjected to physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment, including sexual abuse; (b) subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

The children are being prosecuted for their alleged role in the #EndBadGovernance protests, which took place between August 1 and August 10, 2024. If they are just being arraigned three months later, one can only imagine the sort of dehumanizing conditions they had been subjected to and have been detained all this while.

“I find it reprehensible that a man who claims to have fought for Nigeria’s democracy and had led protests now demonises those who decide to demonstrate against the effects of his harsh and draconian policies.

“Children who are the most affected by these policies have every right to protest peacefully, as guaranteed by the Constitution and the Child Rights Act. A nation can be assessed by the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens. It is saddening that even underage children are not spared from the wickedness of T Pain.

“The disturbing condition under which the alleged accused children were brought to court projects the very justification for their participation in the protest in the first place. -AA”

Popular Nigerian social media personality and cross-dresser, Okuneye Idris, known as Bobrisky, was detained by immigration officials late Thursday night at the airport while preparing to board a KLM flight to Amsterdam.

In a post shared with his followers on Instagram, Bobrisky claimed he was injured during a confrontation with immigration authorities and alleged that his detention was orchestrated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

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“Nigerians help me, EFCC just arrested me. I’m badly injured,” he wrote.

The incident marks the latest chapter in a series of legal and social controversies for the social media star.

Just two weeks earlier, on October 22, Bobrisky reportedly faced a similar situation when he was intercepted by authorities at the Sème border, allegedly attempting to flee Nigeria.

This recent series of detentions follows Bobrisky’s high-profile legal case earlier this year.

In April, he was sentenced to six months in prison by the Federal High Court in Lagos for naira abuse, initially serving time at Kirikiri Prison.

However, rumors quickly emerged claiming that he spent only three weeks in custody before being discreetly moved to a private facility.

The alleged preferential treatment reportedly involved a ₦15 million bribe paid to authorities, fueling widespread speculation about celebrity influence in legal matters.

In late September, the situation intensified when social media influencer VeryDarkMan released an audio recording purportedly implicating Bobrisky.

In the leaked recording, Bobrisky allegedly suggested that musician Falz and his father, human rights lawyer Femi Falana, had approached him in prison, requesting ₦10 million in exchange for helping secure a presidential pardon.

Following the leak, Falana and Falz issued a cease-and-desist letter to Bobrisky on October 16, demanding a retraction and a public apology for what they described as defamatory comments.

Bobrisky however denied the allegations, stating that he was not responsible for the audio content and urged the Falanas to address their concerns to VeryDarkMan instead.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced on Thursday that it is investigating several bank executives for various offenses.

The agency also reported that a preliminary investigation report on former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, has been submitted to President Bola Tinubu.

The EFCC disclosed that about five bank executives are currently serving jail terms in custodial centers across the country.

This was revealed by the Director of Public Affairs, Wilson Uwajaren, who highlighted the achievements of the commission under Ola Olukoyede’s leadership.

While Uwajaren did not disclose the names of the bank executives under investigation, he emphasized that the banking sector has not been overlooked in the past year.

He said, “It’s just for us to look back and realise that EFCC has never shifted focus from any sector. Between 2009 and 2011, at least five bank executives were investigated and served their jail terms. There are still some that are under investigation.

“They are not politicians. Bank MDs are not immune to investigations or prosecution by the EFCC. We cannot mention names until those things are concluded.“

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On Betta Edu, Uwajaren said, “I don’t know the outcome. But I believe that we have submitted a preliminary report to the president. And I believe that we are still on the matter.

“The last time I checked, we mentioned the number of bank accounts that we were monitoring. We were looking at about 140 accounts. And we know it takes time to look into and get the required information.”

On the investigation of controversial crossdresser Idris Okuneye, aka Bobrisky’s allegations, Uwujaren said he could face a fresh charge from the commission if the allegations against the EFCC are false.

Bobrisky had in a voice note shared by controversial social critic Martins Otse, aka VeryDarkMan, allegedly said he bribed EFCC officers with N15m to drop money laundering charges against him.

Although the EFCC denied the allegations, it set up a committee to investigate the matter.

Providing an update, Uwujaren stated that one could be charged for giving false information to the EFCC, let alone making false allegations against the commission.

He said, “There is a portion of the EFCC Act that states if you give false information, you can be tried, but in his case, it is an allegation against the agency. I don’t want to preempt the panel investigating the matter. Once we are through with the investigation, we will definitely brief you on the outcome.”

Reeling out the success of the commission under Olukoyede, Uwujaren said a total of ₦248bn has been recovered.

He also said four former governors and three former ministers have been prosecuted under Olukoyede.

Uwujaren said, “Ola Olukoyede’s one year as EFCC Chairman, beginning from October 18, 2023 to October 18, 2024, the Commission has charged four former governors, namely: Yahaya Adoza Bello (Kogi), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Willie Obiano (Anambra) and Darius Dickson Ishaku (Taraba), to court for alleged corruption.

“Two former ministers of power have been arrested and facing prosecution by the Commission. They are Saleh Mamman and Olu Agunloye. A third is a former minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika.”

He also noted that in the past year, the EFCC, under Olukoyede’s watch, secured 3455 convictions across all categories of financial crimes and corruption.

“Also in the one year of Olukoyede’s leadership, the EFCC recorded $105,423,190.39; £ 53,133.64; €172,547.10; T1,300.00; CAD $ 3,400.00; ¥74,859:00 (Seventy-Four Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Nine Chinese Yuan); AUS $ 740:00; 170:00 UAE DIRHAM; 73,000:00 KOREAN WON; CFA 7,821,375:00 to R 50:00,” he added.

He said more than 35 were convicted for Naira abuse.

“The convicts cut across different classes of society, with Idris Okuneye (a.k.a. Bobrisky) and Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, a Nollywood actress who bagged six months imprisonment, topping the chart of high-profile convicts in this regard. Another offender, Pascal Chibuike Okechukwu (a.k.a. Cubana Chief Priest), had his charges compounded and was fined,” he stated.