JUST IN: Vice President Shettima to Hand Over Malnourished Minors Detained for #EndBadGovernance Protests to Governors at Ceremony in Abuja

Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, will oversee the handover of malnourished minors detained for participating in #EndBadGovernance protests to their respective northern state governors in an elaborate ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday. This move follows an official directive from President Bola Tinubu to release the minors, who have been in custody for three months.

Sources disclosed the event, scheduled at the Federal High Court, will involve an official transfer ceremony where each child will be returned to their governor for immediate care and reintegration. This decision comes on the heels of widespread national and international criticism concerning the treatment and prolonged detention of the minors under President Tinubu’s administration.

The controversy intensified last Friday when the children, some of whom were in visibly poor health, appeared in court facing severe charges including treason. Reportedly, about 24 minors were detained, with 20 requiring hospitalization due to their conditions. Attempts to process the minors through Kuje Prison were unsuccessful due to their health, leading to their temporary detainment at an adult facility managed by the Nigeria Police Force.

President Tinubu’s directive, announced by Minister of Information Mohammed Idris, included immediate orders for the release of the children. Additionally, the President called for the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to take responsibility for the children’s welfare and safe reunification with their families. A committee, led by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, will further investigate the circumstances surrounding the detention and treatment of these minors, examining potential misconduct among officials involved.

“Following their release from court, the Vice President will hand them over to their respective state governors at the ceremony,” a senior source from the Presidency revealed, noting the diplomatic and social fallout that the case has sparked.

The arrest and detention of minors on felony charges such as treason and public disturbance have attracted intense backlash, amplified by reports that at least four of the children collapsed in court on Friday due to malnourishment. Human rights advocates have called for reform, demanding accountability for the conditions under which the minors were held and the process that led to their arrest.