Labour Party leader and former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the treatment of protesters, including minors, who were brought to court under degrading conditions.
Obi emphasized that the Nigerian Constitution upholds citizens’ rights to protest against government actions that negatively impact their livelihood.
In a post on his X account on Friday, Obi urged authorities to investigate the incident, which he described as a national embarrassment with global implications.
“I just watched the disturbing and condemnable scenes captured in a circulating video, showing 124 protesters—among them minors—appearing in court today as part of efforts to secure the enforcement of their fundamental rights,” Obi wrote. “The footage reveals minors, some so weak that they could barely stand, others fainting from sheer exhaustion and lack of nourishment. These children appeared visibly malnourished—a condition that should alarm the conscience of every citizen in our nation.”
Obi expressed shock that despite the federal government’s custody, these young detainees were subjected to such poor treatment.
“The alleged offense is protesting against bad governance affecting their livelihood—an act that our Constitution under a democratic system guarantees,” he added.
He also noted that many current government officials had relied on the same constitutional protections in their past advocacy for governance reform.
Obi praised the presiding judge for halting the trial, preventing further national embarrassment on the global stage.
He called on the Minister of Justice, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Police, the DSS, and the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the incident thoroughly to prevent such treatment in the future.