Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Monday ordered the immediate release of 29 children facing the death penalty after being arraigned for allegedly participating in protests against the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
Under growing pressure from activists, Tinubu also directed an investigation of the law enforcement agents involved in the arrest and prosecution of the minors, Nigeria’s Information Minister Mohammed Idris told reporters in the capital, Abuja. They are not expected to be released until Tuesday through a court order.
The children, detained since August, were among more than 70 people arraigned on Friday on charges of treason, destruction of property and mutiny after the August protests that shook the country and culminated in security operatives killing some demonstrators and arresting hundreds.
Aged 14 to 17, four of the minors collapsed due to exhaustion when they were brought to the court last week. Most others looked malnourished and lost as they pressed against one other in the dock, the rest sitting on the floor.
There had been no news of their detention until their arraignment, which sparked outrage and renewed concerns about deteriorating human rights in Africa’s most populous country.
A local court imposed stringent conditions and granted the children a bail of 10 million naira (US$5,900) each, which none of them was able to meet.
It is still not clear if the children participated in the protests staged by Nigerians as they faced worsening hardship caused by the government’s economic policies that were aimed at reducing costs and stabilizing the ailing economy.
They were detained unlawfully and put through “horrifying experiences,” according to Amnesty International’s Nigeria office, one of several rights groups that demanded the children’s release.
The children’s arrest "highlights significant flaws in our criminal justice system, particularly the child justice system, indicating systemic issues that fail to protect minors’ rights,” said Funke Adeoye, founder of Hope Behind Bars Africa, a nonprofit that has been fighting for their release.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) found a man who escaped lawful custody in the Laurentians.
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Saskatchewan RCMP is urging motorists to exercise caution after a series of five collisions involving moose occurred on Friday evening.
Trump had a clear edge among Hispanic voters “very concerned” about the cost of food. Half said he would better handle the economy than Harris.
U.S. President Joe Biden will host President-elect Donald Trump for a postelection meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said Saturday.
Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia's ports since Monday.
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Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano spewed towering columns of hot ash high into the air Saturday, days after a huge eruption killed nine people and injured dozens of others.
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The service of Chinese Canadian soldiers in the First and Second World Wars will be honoured by an exhibition at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver.
Alex Decoteau didn’t live to see his 30th birthday, but what he accomplished in his 29 years of life was simply remarkable.
Saskatchewan RCMP is urging motorists to exercise caution after a series of five collisions involving moose occurred on Friday evening.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) found a man who escaped lawful custody in the Laurentians.
Lawyers for an alleged high-ranking member of the Italian Mafia in Toronto claim evidence is being used against him that is the product of foreign interference by Italian police.
The agreed statement of facts was read to the court on Friday in the case of Alex Williams, the 24-year-old jail guard charged last fall with smuggling cannabis and tobacco into Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene.
U.S. President Joe Biden will host President-elect Donald Trump for a postelection meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said Saturday.
Trump had a clear edge among Hispanic voters “very concerned” about the cost of food. Half said he would better handle the economy than Harris.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Saturday canceled a trip to United Nations climate talks in Azerbaijan so he can stay in the Netherlands to deal with the fallout from assaults on fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team in Amsterdam that authorities condemned as antisemitic.
In the middle of a Berlin hotel cafe, Masih Alinejad raises her voice and starts singing at the top of her lungs in Farsi, as waiters turn to watch along with the three German government bodyguards assigned to protect her.
Britain's police watchdog said is assessing complaints over how the police handled sex crime allegations against the late Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrived in New York City on Saturday, signaling the start of the holiday season in the Big Apple.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada says the government held a briefing with unions on Thursday to discuss the 'Refocusing Government Spending Initiative." PSAC says, "without prior consultation, the government unilaterally announced their plans to cut costs across the federal public service."
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Canada will apologize to Inuit in Nunavik for the killing of sled dogs between the mid-1950s until the late 1960s, minister Gary Anandasangaree said.
The majority of strokes could be prevented, according to new guidelines aimed at helping people and their doctors do just that.
Health Canada has approved Moderna's mRNA vaccine to protect against respiratory syncytial virus in adults age 60 and older, available next year.
A move by Quebec to allow a person with a serious and incurable illness like Alzheimer's to request MAID months or years before their condition leaves them unable to consent has been met with praise, confusion and criticism.
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In 1916, Harold Wrong plucked a flower from the fields of Somme, France and tucked it into a letter he mailed home to Toronto. For decades, the type of flower sent remained a mystery.
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The Canadian Premier League intends to expand by two teams in 2026.
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They call him `Vezina-Buyck' in Winnipeg.
A driver's trip from London, Ont. to Ottawa to visit their girlfriend ended in a traffic stop for speeding on Highway 417, according to police.
Recall notices have been issued for some Volkswagen models from 2006 to 2019 for airbag safety issues.
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Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
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Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia's ports since Monday.
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The Toronto police are investigating after an adult male was shot in the downtown area early Saturday morning.
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A pickup truck and car collided Friday night at Heritage Drive and 11Street S.E.
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Saskatchewan RCMP is urging motorists to exercise caution after a series of five collisions involving moose occurred on Friday evening.
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A Memorial University scientist says the mysterious white blobs washing up on Newfoundland beaches are actually gobs of plastic — and they need to be cleaned up.
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