(AP) – Twenty-nine children could face the death penalty in Nigeria after being prosecuted this Friday for participating in a protest against the country’s record cost of living crisis. Four of them collapsed in court due to exhaustion before they could give a statement.
A total of 76 protesters were charged with 10 felonies, including treason, destruction of property, public disorder and riot, according to the charge sheet seen by The Associated Press.
According to the document, the minors were between 14 and 17 years old.
Frustration over the cost of living crisis has led to several mass protests in recent months. In August, at least 20 people were shot dead and hundreds more arrested in a protest demanding better opportunities and jobs for young people.
The death penalty was introduced in the 1970s in Nigeria, but there have been no executions in the country since 2016.
Akintayo Balogun, a private lawyer in Abuja, said the Child Rights Act does not allow any minor to be subjected to criminal proceedings and sentenced to death.
“So bringing minors to federal court is wrong, ab initiounless the Government can prove that the children are over 19 years old,” Balogun said.
The court ultimately granted bail of 10 million naira ($5,900) to each of the accused and imposed strict conditions that they still must comply with, said Marshal Abubakar, a lawyer for some of the children.
“A country that has a duty to educate its children will decide to punish those children. These children have been detained for 90 days without food,” Abubakar said.
Yemi Adamolekun, executive director of Enough is Enough, a civil society organization that promotes good governance in Nigeria, said authorities have no business prosecuting children.
“The Chief Justice of Nigeria should be ashamed, she is a woman and a mother,” Adamolekun said.
Despite being one of the leading crude oil producers in Africa, Nigeria remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Chronic corruption means that the lifestyle of its public officials rarely reflects that of the general population. Medical professionals often go on strike to protest poor wages.
The country’s politicians and lawmakers, often accused of corruption, are some of the highest paid in Africa. Even the president’s wife, whose position is not listed in the constitution, is entitled to pickup trucks and other taxpayer-funded luxuries.
Nigeria’s population of more than 210 million, the largest on the continent, is also among the hungriest in the world and its government has struggled to create jobs. The inflation rate is also at its highest level in 28 years and the local currency, the naira, at record lows against the dollar.
On Thursday, Nigeria was classified as a “hotspot of very high concern” in a report by the United Nations (UN) food agencies, as large numbers of people face or are projected to face critical levels of Acute food insecurity in African country.
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