NEWS
SERAP Issues Tinubu 48-Hour Ultimatum Over Detained Minors
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to use his “leadership position and good offices to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN to take urgent steps to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all the #EndBadGovernance protesters including the 32 hungry and malnourished children.”
This was detailed in a statement in Lagos on Sunday under the signature of its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The SERAP said “these children and other protesters are detained solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights.”
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The SERAP urged him “to direct Mr Fagbemi and appropriate law enforcement agencies to promptly investigate the circumstances surrounding the grave violations of the human rights of the children and other protesters in detention, and to identify and bring to justice those responsible, and ensure justice and remedies for the victims.”
The SERAP also urged him “to direct Mr Fagbemi and appropriate agencies to ensure the immediate access to medical treatment for all the protesters including the 32 hungry malnourished children for their apparently deteriorating health.”
According to the open letter dated 2 November 2024, “Bringing charges against children and detaining them simply for the peaceful exercise of their human rights is clearly not acting in the ‘best interests of the child’.”
The SERAP said, “The detention of the 32 hungry and malnourished children also infringes their right to education. These children ought to be in school, and not languishing in detention.”
According to the SERAP, “The apparent ill-treatment of the protesters including the 32 hungry and malnourished children have shined a light on the appalling conditions in Nigeria’s prisons which continue to put lives at risk.”
The letter, copied to Dr. Matthew Gillett, the Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, read in part: “The continuing arbitrary detention of the protesters creates a climate of fear, discouraging other citizens from freely exercising their human rights, leading to a broader chilling effect.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 48 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.
“SERAP is concerned that Nigerian authorities are weaponizing the criminal justice system to curtail the rights of the children and other protesters to liberty, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“We are concerned that the rights of the protesters to life, health, and safety are being violated in detention. Bringing charges against the protesters and detaining them is neither necessary nor proportionate.
“The conditions in which these children and other protesters are being detained are utterly inadequate and substantially below international standards.
“Children have the right to express their views freely in matters affecting them. Children’s ability to engage in political and public affairs depends largely on the extent to which their rights are respected, protected and fulfilled.
“Your government has the obligations to ensure and uphold the rights of Nigerian children including to life, liberty, education and development, as well as to be treated in a manner consistent with the promotion of the child’s sense of dignity and worth.
“Your government also has the obligation to provide a safe, enabling and empowering environment for young people to promote human rights.
“Your government has the obligations to promptly, thoroughly, impartially, independently, transparently and effectively investigate and appropriately punish those responsible for grave human rights abuses against the protesters in custody and to provide the victims with access to justice and effective remedies.
“Any decision concerning a child must take full account of the child’s best interests including by protecting the children from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and ensuring that the detention of a child is used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time.
“The Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Nigeria is a state party recognizes that children are entitled to a heightened duty of care because of their special status as children, which requires specific measures that take into account their level of development and evolving capacities.
“The Convention and the Child Rights Act impose binding legal obligations on your government to take specific measures for the development of children taking account of their evolving capacities, best interests and without discrimination.
“Articles 37 (b) and 40 (2) (b) (ii) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child also provide that every child arrested and deprived of his or her liberty should be brought before a competent authority within 24 hours to examine the legality of the deprivation of liberty.
“SERAP notes that rules 1, 24, 27 and 118 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) provide that all persons deprived of their liberty must be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, including by receiving appropriate medical care.
“Rule 22 of the Nelson Mandela Rules guarantees the right of all detained persons to receive food of wholesome quantity and drinking water.
“According to reports, 76 #EndBadGovernance protesters including 32 children, were recently arraigned in court for allegedly participating in the nationwide protests in August. The protesters, who have been in detention for three months, were reportedly arrested in the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja); as well as Kaduna, Gombe, Jos, Katsina, and Kano states.
“Four children/young persons collapsed on the courtroom floor, writhing in pain before being removed to get medical help.
“The protesters were arraigned on 10 counts bordering on ‘treason, intent to destabilise Nigeria and inciting to mutiny’. However, the protest was against economic hardship and poor governance, as protesters called for reduced governance costs, the reinstatement of petrol subsidy, and food security.”
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
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The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has inaugurated a 12-member committee tasked with recovering government vehicles reportedly in private hands.
The committee, led by Kelly Okungbowa, has been given a two-week mandate to retrieve the vehicles and ensure their return to the state government.
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Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Benin City, Governor Okpebholo emphasized the importance of accountability in the management of public resources.
He urged the committee to carry out its assignment thoroughly and within the bounds of the law.
In his response, Okungbowa expressed gratitude to the governor for entrusting the team with the assignment, vowing to deliver results within the stipulated timeframe.
“A lot of vehicles used by the past administration are missing, as those in custody of the vehicles have refused to return them,” Okungbowa said.
“The governor deemed it fit to inaugurate us today with a mandate to recover all government vehicles in private hands.”
The committee, which includes representatives from Edo’s three senatorial districts, is set to investigate and recover the vehicles based on credible intelligence already at their disposal.
“We already have vital information regarding some persons still holding government vehicles,” Okungbowa stated. “We will do the job according to the law, and both the government and the people will be satisfied with the outcome.”
He also called on members of the public to assist the committee by providing information about any government vehicles that may still be in private possession.
“We want to appeal to members of the public who might be aware of anyone still keeping government vehicles in their houses to please inform us to enable the committee to recover such for the Edo State Government,” Okungbowa said.
The committee’s vice chairman, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror, a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, will work alongside other members to ensure the success of the initiative. The public can reach the committee at 08110165121.
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