Some of the nation’s top civil society organisations (CSOs) have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees arrested for the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests in parts of the country.

They made the call in separate interviews with Daily Trust in Abuja.

Speaking on the development, before the detainees’ release, especially the minors, Comrade Ibrahim Zikirullahi, Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), said while the decision of the president to intervene in the matter is commendable, the centre still called for full investigation into the controversies surrounding the arrests, detention and arraignment of the children and all those found culpable should be adequately sanctioned.

Also, Mr Andrew Mamedu, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), said it took the cry of citizens, civil society organisations, and lawyers, for the president to get to release the minors.

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He noted that the minors had been in detention for over 19 days and that clearly the president  or the executive had the opportunity to let them go all that while, but didn’t until now because of outcry from citizens.

On his part, Mallam Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC); Head of Transparency International-Nigeria and chairman Amnesty International Nigeria commended President Tinubu for instructing the Attorney General, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to ensure the immediate release of all minors detained during the #EndBadGovernance protests across Nigeria.

CISLAC urged President Tinubu to extend the directive to other detained protesters, fostering greater national unity, justice and demonstrating a government open to addressing citizens’ grievances.

He called for two major reforms to Nigeria’s criminal justice system, emphasising the need for comprehensive judicial reform, particularly targeting corruption within the judiciary.

The CISLAC boss also underscored the importance of police reform, particularly in recruitment and service deployment.