Foremost Human Rights Legal activist, Femi Falana, SAN has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to discharge 75 youths and minors who were arraigned on Friday for participating in EndBadGovernance protect.
He said that rather than trying the children for alleged treasonable felony, the court should order the federal government to educate the underage children to at least Senior Secondary School or University level in compliance with the law.
Falana SAN, counsel to the defendants in the ongoing trial instituted by the Federal government against some children for allegedly taking part in the August protest tagged Endbadgovernance, made the request in the notice of preliminary objection he filed against their trial..
The lawyer is also asking the learned trial judge “to decline jurisdiction in the case and for an order mandating the complainant to pay the children school fees till at least senior secondary school or university level in compliance with Section 18 (3) (a) (b)(c) of the 1999 Constitution, section 15 of the Child’s Rights Act, Section 2 of the Universal Basic Education Act, Article 17 of the African Charter.”
In an application filed on their behalf by foremost human rights lawyer , Femi Falana SAN, they argued that the federal high court lacks the jurisdiction to try them by virtue of Section 251 of the 1999 Constitution, that by virtue of Section 204 of the Child’s Rughts Act, they can only be Subjected to only child justice system and they cannot be tried with adults in a formal adult court .
The matter has been adjourned to January 24, 2025 for hearing. But last night the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN directed the Inspector General of Police to transfer the case file to office.
He equally directed the Federal Director of Public Prosecution upon the receipt of the case file to apply to the court for an earlier date to hear the matter.