- Okonkwo criticised the handling of the minors, stating that both the charges and the legal process were flawed
Labour Party leader Kenneth Okonkwo has urged President Bola Tinubu to issue a public apology to the minors who were arrested and arraigned during the recent #EndBadGovernance protests. Okonkwo made the call during an interview with Arise Television on Tuesday.
The nationwide protests, which took place from August 1 to 10, saw several demonstrators arrested. Among them were minors, sparking widespread outrage.
Earlier this week, President Tinubu directed the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to withdraw charges against the minors. Subsequently, a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the case against 119 protest participants.
Following their release, the minors were hosted by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House.
Okonkwo criticised the handling of the minors, stating that both the charges and the legal process were flawed. He emphasised the need for compensation and an apology from the authorities, particularly the police, for the mistreatment of the children.
“The president has to apologise to those children and compensate them adequately. It was very wrong. The charges were wrong. The process of detaining them was wrong. The process of arraigning them was wrong. They were just malnourished, maltreated, and mistreated in that whole process,” Okonkwo said.
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