A civil society organisation (CSO), Lygel Youths and Leadership Initiative, has called for immediate police reforms following reports of minors being detained during protests against bad governance in Nigeria.
The CSO condemned the unlawful detention and mistreatment of young protesters, urging authorities to address the systemic abuses within law enforcement and protect the rights of children.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the director of Lygel Compliance, Lekan Oladapo, said such actions not only undermine the protection of children but also breach national laws and international human rights standards.
He called for immediate reforms to prevent further abuse and ensure the safety and dignity of minors in the country.
According to him, it is becoming worrisome that the state of abuse of the police has degenerated into the abysmal abuse of law as an instrument of exacerbating violence on Nigerian minors without any pretext.
“Our organisation, to say the least, considers it an aberration to the law and common sense putting the Nigerian children in a despicable human condition.
“To our minds, the process of the recent arrest, incarceration and arraignment of the minors under pitiable conditions are condemnable.
Stating this further, the official reaction of the police to this unwarranted inhuman and violation of the child’s rights is a dagger blow assault on the collective intelligence of the Nigerian citizens.
“The rights of the minors are non-negotiable and non-derogable as far as Section 11 of the Child’s Rights and Section 34 of the Constitution are concerned. It is obvious that the way and manner the minors were detained, lumped with the adult detainees, is a violent breach of their rights to the human dignity on which the violation cannot be ordinarily compensated,” he said.
He further called on the government to fish out the direct perpetrators of the inhumanity to man and allow them to face the consequence of their action, saying that the inspector-general of the Police should also be relieved of his duty as a responsible officer of this ignominious act.
He added, “There is a need to do more on police reform, for the IGP has arrogated so much power to himself that needs to be checked. Given the current state of things, the Police Council needs to be restructured beyond the mere advisory roles it plays in the appointment of the IGP.
“We, as an organisation with the object of good leadership and youth development, are following this up to ensure that needed reform is brought up to bring sanity to the polity.
“If the IGP is not removed or resigned, we will not necessitate taking the needed legal process for Mr President and his Police Council of Advisers to do the needful,” he added.
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