The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has recently initiated steps to potentially drop charges against 32 minors who were arraigned in Abuja before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court. This decision emerged only hours following the minors’ arraignment, as Fagbemi expressed an intention to take charge of the case from the Inspector General of Police, citing the need for a comprehensive review of the circumstances surrounding the case. In a public statement, the AGF emphasized his decision to transfer the case file from the police to his office to ensure a well-informed conclusion can be reached regarding the future of the charges.
The Attorney General clarified his inability to alter the court’s order, which placed the minors in detention centers and set a lengthy adjournment for the case until January. However, he directed immediate action to expedite the legal proceedings. According to insiders at the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Inspector General of Police has already complied with Fagbemi’s request and submitted the case file, with the intention of dropping the charges against the minors swiftly coming to fruition. Reports indicate that plans to reconvene the court earlier than the scheduled date of January 24, 2025, are in motion, signaling a shift in the handling of this case.
Defense counsel Marshall Abubakar represents all 119 defendants in this case, including the minors, and has been in communication about the ongoing developments. He acknowledged the government’s involvement, noting that discussions regarding dropping the charges are progressing positively. Abubakar confirmed that the detained minors are currently held in a facility that does not meet proper juvenile detention standards, reflecting an alarming gap in the welfare provisions for these children amid ongoing legal processes. The absence of a functional Borstal system further compounds the situation they face while in custody.
Additionally, sources reveal that the Attorney General’s office is preparing to file an affidavit of urgency and a legal application to potentially expedite proceedings, suggesting a proactive approach to ensuring that these minors are granted a fair resolution to their circumstances. Observers within the legal community express hope that if the court grants the application, the matter may be paused imminently, allowing the AGF to move forward with discontinuing the charges against the minors involved in the case.
Meanwhile, human rights activist Deji Adeyanju has raised concerns about two minors who were not presented in court alongside the other defendants. Their absence remains unexplained, and despite their names being listed on the original court documentation, they were missing from the proceedings. Adeyanju highlighted further complicating aspects of the case, mentioning that several other arrested individuals were ill and consequently did not stand trial. This has raised significant issues regarding due process and the treatment of detainees in custody by the police, particularly in light of the claims of illness and the lack of appropriate medical care for those involved.
Responses from various activist groups, including the Northern Comrades Movement of Nigeria and the organizers of the #EndBadGovernance protests, have criticized statements made by the Inspector General regarding the health of the minors. Allegations that the minors fainting in court were staged have been condemned as unfounded and dismissive of the serious conditions they have faced during their detention. Activists are relentlessly calling for the transfer of these children from custody and emphasize the importance of their mental and physical health following what they describe as traumatic experiences over the past months, bringing attention to the broader issues within the justice system concerning the treatment of minors and detainees.
