The Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, has disclosed why President Bola Tinubu ordered the release of the 32 minors arraigned.
Fagbemi said Tinubu ordered that the charges against the
minors be dropped because he has children and grand children.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the AGF said there were
suggestions that the minors be tried in a family court.
He maintained that no Nigerian law prevents the trial of
minors.
Recall that the Nigerian government had arraigned 72
protesters for engaging in the nationwide EndBadGovernance protest.
Out of the 72 protesters, 32 were minors and they were
arraigned before an Abuja Federal High Court on charges of treason.
But the Nigerian government had withdrawn the charges
against the minors following outcry by Nigerians.
Fagbemi said: “No law in this country says a minor cannot be
tried, and I have also heard suggestions that they should go to a family court.
“But the President said, despite all this, ‘I have children,
grandchildren,’ and that motivated his passion to release them.”