Facing Outrage, Nigeria Drops Capital Charges Against Minors

Dozens of teenagers, some as young as 14, had been held for nearly three months in a squalid detention center that houses murder suspects.They faced treason charges and possible death sentences for alleged participation in protests against Nigeria’s government.But since they were arraigned in a courtroom on Friday, their appearance there shocked people around the country, creating a wave of indignation at their treatment.

Videos showed the boys, gaunt and haggard, hastily grabbing crackers handed to them, collapsing or just staring around blankly.President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has since ordered their immediate release and the opening of an investigation into their arrest and ordeal in detention.The authorities have dropped all charges against them.But the announcements may do little to calm the widespread outrage that has gripped Africa’s most populous country for months, over economic policies adopted by Mr.

Tinubu’s administration that Nigerians say are making them hungrier and poorer.And lawyers, civil society activists and rights organizations say that the boys’ ordeal epitomizes a pattern of arbitrary detention and human rights violations by Nigerian authorities, who seldom face accountability.Abba Hikima, a lawyer representing the minors, said the government had wanted to make an example of children to deter others from protesting against Mr.Tinubu’s policies.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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