EndBadGovernance: Police starved us, we hardly saw sunlight – Minors

After receiving a reprieve from President Bola Tinubu on Monday, several minors, aged between 14 and 17, who were arrested during August’s #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests against the country’s hardships, shared their traumatic experiences while in custody with The PUNCH.

On Friday, 76 suspects, including 32 minors, were arraigned by the Inspector-General of Police on 10 charges, including treason, intent to destabilize the country, and inciting mutiny by calling for military intervention to oust President Tinubu, among other allegations.

During the court proceedings at the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, four of the minors, visibly malnourished, collapsed before Justice Obiora Egwuatu.

The incident sparked nationwide outrage, with civil society groups and human rights activists condemning the police and the government for their treatment of the minors, who hailed from Kano and Kaduna states.

In response to the public outcry, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, held an emergency briefing on Monday, announcing that President Tinubu had ordered the immediate release of all the minors.

Idris further stated that the president had directed an investigation into the law enforcement officials involved in the arrests and legal processes, promising disciplinary action if any misconduct was found.

On Tuesday, Vice President Kashim Shettima oversaw the handover of the minors to the Governors of Kano and Kaduna, Abba Kabir Yusuf and Uba Sani, respectively. Shettima explained that despite the evidence of wrongdoing, President Tinubu’s decision was made on humanitarian grounds, offering the minors a chance for personal reform.

The minors were returned to Kano and Kaduna that night, sharing harrowing accounts of their experiences while in custody, describing the conditions as “hellish.”

Those from Kano were initially taken to the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, where they were being treated by a medical team. They are expected to stay there for five days before being reunited with their families.

Some of the minors, speaking to Punch from the hospital, described being denied food for several days. “We saw hell; we suffered a lot,” said 15-year-old Umar Ali. “Sometimes we went three days without food, and when we did get food, it was never enough.”

Ali, who denied any involvement in the protests, explained that he was arrested while on his way to the market at Kwana Hudu in Ungoggo Local Government Area, where he worked menial jobs to support himself. He also shared that they were kept in the dark while in custody, which led to some of them struggling during their court appearances.

“We hardly saw sunlight, and that’s why some of us couldn’t see properly when we were brought to court,” he said.

Ibrahim Aliyu Musa, another minor who was transferred from Kano to Abuja a day after his arrest, recounted being placed in the same facility as hardened criminals. “We went for days without food, and the food we got was not adequate or appetizing. We were given beans in the morning, rice at lunch, and Gabza for dinner,” Musa said, describing the Gabza as a meal typically given to inmates due to the large number of detainees.

A 13-year-old boy, who was arrested at Gadon Kaya in Gwale Local Government Area, also shared his experience. He was accused of flying a Russian flag, a claim he denied.

“I was arrested on August 15 and taken to Abuja the following day. We were kept at the Abattoir SARS in Abuja, where we were held with hardened criminals,” he said.