- Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi clarifies that Nigerian law permits the prosecution of minors, countering calls for family court trials for protesters
- Following President Tinubu’s intervention, 119 #EndBadGovernance protesters, including minors, were released, highlighting the balance between legal action and compassion
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, addressed the legal controversy around the arraignment of young #EndBadGovernance protesters, including minors, on treason charges.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the opening of Law Corridor’s new office complex and a book launch on the Nigerian legal system, Fagbemi stated that Nigerian law does not prohibit the prosecution of minors.
“There is no law in this country that says a minor cannot be tried,” Fagbemi said, countering calls for the minors to be tried in family court.
The trial of 119 protesters, including minors aged 14 to 17, has drawn criticism from both Nigerians and international bodies. However, the minors have since been released and reunited with their families following President Bola Tinubu’s intervention.
The attorney general said: “The study of the law and the constitution leaves you no other conclusion than that the federal high court has jurisdiction in matters bordering on treason and related issues. So, whatever the situation, the president has closed the chapter by deciding to release these young men.
“The president was very compassionate; he is a father and a grandfather. If you look at the facts in the possession of the security agency, you would marvel.
“But the president said, despite all this, ‘I have children, grandchildren,’ and that motivated his passion to release them and also enable them in some ways.
“So the credit goes to him for showing compassionate consideration in releasing the young chaps.”