After being granted freedom by President Bola Tinubu on Monday, several minors aged 14 to 17 who had been detained during the #EndBadGovernance protests in August shared distressing accounts of their time in custody.
AFRIPOST reports that the protests erupted nationwide due to widespread frustrations over the economic hardships facing many Nigerians.
The minors, from Kano, Kaduna and some other northern states and now at the Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, are receiving medical assessments and treatment from a dedicated healthcare team.
In conversations with the Punch, some of these minors described difficult conditions during their detention. Umar Ali, a 15-year-old, recounted, “It was a terrible experience; we suffered greatly. Sometimes we went for days without food, and when we did receive meals, they were insufficient.”
Ali claimed he wasn’t part of the protest, saying he was arrested while heading to the market in Kwana Hudu, Ungoggo Local Government Area, where he does menial work.
He added that the conditions in detention affected their eyesight due to lack of sunlight, making it hard to see properly when they appeared in court.
Another minor, Ibrahim Aliyu Musa, reported being transferred from Kano to Abuja shortly after his arrest and being detained alongside hardened criminals.
He described the poor food quality and how they were given minimal meals—beans in the morning, rice at noon, and Gabza for dinner.
A 13-year-old boy shared a similar experience, saying he was arrested in Gadon Kaya, Gwale Local Government Area, accused of displaying a Russian flag, which he denied. “I was detained at Abattoir SARS in Abuja the day after my arrest. We were placed with serious offenders the entire time,” he explained.
However, the Nigeria Police Force denied any allegations of mistreatment. Speaking to Punch on Wednesday, Force spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi insisted that the minors were not mistreated or placed with hardened criminals, dismissing such accounts as false attempts to damage the police’s credibility.
