Bode George, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the arraignment of minors before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday.
The minors who were looking highly malnourished were slammed charges bordering on treason, incitement to mutiny by urging the military to remove President Bola Tinubu and other related charges by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
While the IGP had said over the weekend that the accused who fainted before the court played out a script to portray the police in a negative image, the minors’ arraignment has continued to generate public outrage from individuals, groups and civil society organisation.
Reacting to the arraignment, George said it is, “absolutely despicable”, “disgraceful”, and “shameful”.
He said the IGP ought to have taken a decisive position on the detention of the minors and should have ordered appropriate actions in dealing with them.
George described the action of the police as a “wicked” and an “inhumane” treatment meted to the minors.
He said, “It is absolutely despicable, very wicked. These kids are underage, if they are members of their family would they do that to them? It’s utterly disgraceful, how can we be so wicked? We’ve left every sense of decency and humanity.
“Why would the IGP not direct somebody to revoke that, they had to be detained in a cell and then brought to court, to do what? Don’t we have juvenile court, what’s going on here? Does it mean we’ve lost every sense of decency as a nation? You know what happens when they lock people up in the cell. Why?”
He further stated that such action by the state against its vulnerable populace has a multiplier effect on the nation.
