A Non-governmental Organization, Lygel Youths and Leadership Initiatives, has condemned the arrest, incarceration and arraignment of minors involved in the last #Endbadgovernance protest, saying it’s violation of child’s right.
The Director, Legal Compliance of the initiative, Lekan Oladapo was speaking during a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
”The process of the recent arrest, incarceration and the arraignment of the minors under pitiable condition are condemnable.
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”Stating this further, the official reaction of the police to this unwarranted inhuman and violation of the child’s rights is a dagger blow assault of the collective intelligence of the Nigerian citizens.
”The rights of the minors are non-negotiable and non-derogable as far as Section 11 of the Child’s Rights and Section 34 of the Constitution are concerned.
” It is obvious that the way and manner the minors were detained, lumped with the adult detainees is a violent breach of their rights to the human dignity on which the violation cannot be ordinarily compensated,” he said.
He added that it was not enough for the government to strike out the case at the court but became imperative as a healing process to fish out the direct perpetrators of the inhumanity to man and allow them to face the consequence of their action.
”Without fear of contradictions, the Inspector-General of Police should be relieved of his duty as a responsible officer of this ignominious act. After all, he has outlived his statutory tenure in the service.
”Mr. President and the Police Council must wade in to salvage Nigerians from the messy situation we find ourselves.
”It is not surprising, going by the facts on the record that the IGP does not only by his act of disobedience to law and the Nigerian Constitution affecting the ordinary Nigerian but by the extension his immediate constituency.
”Recently, there have been copious disobedience of the court orders and judgments of the National Industrial Court regarding to the officers of the police who have been disengaged contrary to the Police Service Commission’ decision to be reabsorbed and reintegrated based on their first appointment as Cadet Inspectors and Assistant Superintendents of Police.
”The same man who survives a tenure elongation is the one refusing to apply the courts judgements and directive of the Police Service Commission,” he added.
He, therefore, called on the need to do more on the police reform, noting that the IGP has arrogated so much power to himself that needed to be checkmated.
He further called for the restructuring of the Police Council beyond mere advisory roles it played in the appointment of the IGP.
He said: ”We as an organization with the objective of good leadership and youth development is following this up to ensure that needed reform is brought up to bring sanity to the polity.
”If the IGP is not removed or resigned, we would not hesitate taking the needed legal process for Mr. President and his Police Council of Advisers to do the needful.
