Nigeria goment dey chook eye inside arraignment of minors for 'End Bad Governance' case

Nigeria goment say dem go chook eye inside di arraignment of minors for di Federal High Court, Abuja on Friday.

At least 27 of di suspects wey show face for Justice Obiora Egwuatu court na young boys wey dey below di age of 18, and some of dem dey as young as 14 years old.

Di Nigeria police bin arraign di suspects in two batches of 76 and 42 sake of di End bad governance protests wey bin happun across di kontri.

However, Nigeria goment through di attorney general of di kontri don ask for di case file, make dem torchlight di mata.

For inside statement, di Attorney General of di Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi tell police to bring di case file of di minors.

"E just come to my notice say di police don arraign di pipo wey dem bin arrest in connection with di end bad governance violent protest for court for various offences, including treason.

My office go need to look into some issues regarding di mata so dat I fit make an informed decision."

Im add say even though im know say di court bin don remand di defendants wey dey detention centres and adjourn di case to January, e no dey within im power to vary di order of di court wey keep di minors for detention centres and adjourn di case till January.

" I don, however, direct di Nigeria Police to transfer di case file to my office and hand am over to di Director of Public Prosecution of di Federation (DPPF) on Saturday, 2nd November, 2024.

I don also direct di DPPF to immediately set machinery in motion for di court to consider to move di adjournment date forward (to an earlier date)" di statement conclude.

Wetin really happun and some of di charges

Fotos of minors inside of Abuja High Court spread for social media wen on Friday, one judge for Nigeria grant bail to each of di 114 pipo wey police bin arrest during di End Bad Governance protests for August 2024.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu grant dem di bail on top 10-count charge of treason, felony and inciting to mutiny wey di Nigeria goment sama dem.

At least 27 of di suspects na young boys wey dey below age of 18, wit some of dem as young as 14 years old.

One of di charges wey police sama dem na say di boys bin "wear, carry and display for public Russian flags, and chant violent revolutionary songs, wey dey call for Russian invasion of Nigerian sovereign entity to topple di democratic goment of Nigeria".

Some human rights activists tell BBC Pidgin say di teenagers bin dey for custody since dat August wey police arrest dem, and e don pass 80 days now.

Goment bin don arraign 10 pipo on top di same protest mata, wey dem say na dem be di leaders and organisers, and say na dem bin dey call for di military to overthrow di goment.

During dat protest wey last from August 1 to 10, videos bin spread on social media wia pipo, children and adults dey fly Russia flag for parts of di northern region of Nigeria.

Tori dat time be say di protesters dey call on Russia to intervene for Nigeria mata.

Nigeria authorities later tok say dem don arrest di pipo wey dey fly Russian flags as di offence na treason.

Four of di accused pesins collapse for court

For di court on Friday, as di court official dey read out di mata and call di accused pesins, four of di boys just collapse for di floor.

Dis cause some kain drama for inside di court room as dia lawyers - led by Marshal Abubakar and Deji Adeyanju - and oda pipo for court start to dey revive dem.

Eventually, di prosecution counsel Audu Garba agree to remove di name of di four defendants from di charge sake of ill health.

Di oda accused pesins den start to dey take dia plea one by one afta a court official don interpret di charges from English to Hausa language.

Dem plead not guilty.

10 million naira bail each, wey be total of 1.14 billion naira

Justice Egwatu note say some of di accused pesins dey under di age 18 and say dia lawyers don promise say dem no go interfere wit di trial or destroy evidence.

E therefore grant dem bail in di sum of 10 million naira each wit two sureties. One of di sureties need to be civil servant and di oda go be either a parent or sibling of di accused.

Until dem perfect dia bail conditions, di ones wey don reach 18 years go dey remanded for Kuje Correctional Centre, while di minors among dem go dey detained for di Borstal Home of di Nigeria Correctional Service.

'Borstal homes' na wia dem dey keep and reform juveniles and young offenders .

Afta di first set of 76 defendants, di prosecution team also bring in anoda batch of 42 charged wit di same set of offences, making it 118 defendants, but dem bin comot di name of four pipo wey bin collapse for court.

In total, Justice Egwuatu grant 10 million naira bail to 114 of di arraigned protesters, wey make di total bail amount to be 1.14 billion naira

Di trial judge adjourn di mata to January 24, 2025, for hearing.

Wetin di law tok about charging minors to court?

According to section 29 of di constitution of Nigeria, adult na pesin wey don reach di age of 18. Anybody under dat age na minor.

Normally, wen minor commit some kain offence, na for juvenile court dem suppose try am but no be for all offences, Chika Mbanusi, wey be legal practitioner, tell BBC Pidgin.

Section 30 of di criminal code act tok say pesin go dey criminally culpable for civil or criminal offence once di pesin don reach di age of 12 years if "e dey proved say at di time of doing di act or making di omission im get capacity to know say im no suppose to do di act or make di omission".

Precedence dey, however, wia di Supreme Court uphold di judgement of di Jigawa State High Court and di Court of Appeal for di case of Yusuf Musa vs di State for 2022.

For dat case, di Supreme Court rule say one eleven-year old minor wey bin machete pesin several times and kill am, dey guilty of culpable homicide even though di boy neva reach 12 years old dat time.