Prof Chidi Odinkalu Condemns Nigerian Judiciary’s Complicity in Oppressing Citizens and Violating Fundamental Human Rights

Prof Chidi Odinkalu, a distinguished human rights activist and senior lawyer, has strongly criticized the Nigerian Judiciary for colluding with the executive branch to oppress citizens and strip them of their basic human rights.

Odinkalu’s outrage was prompted by the arraignment of malnourished children at the Federal High Court in Abuja, who had participated in the #EndBadGovernance protests in August.

As a fierce critic of the Nigerian failed system, Odinkalu condemned the judiciary’s role in facilitating the pre-trial detention of these vulnerable children, who were arrested during peaceful demonstrations in Kano.

Reports and viral videos had earlier revealed how underaged protesters who had been in detention since August collapsed in the courtroom when they were brought for arraignment.

Upon arriving in court, the children, malnourished and mistreated were left to share a single sachet of biscuits among themselves.

Reacting to the development, Prof. Odinkalu accused the judiciary of actively facilitating the pre-trial detention of the oppressed children, who were rounded up in the streets of Abuja.

Lambasting Nigeria’s judicial system which he described as being “committed to discarding pretences of law,” the legal luminary said these are same judiciary and security agencies that cannot find former governor of Kogi State Yahaya Bello and bring him to court to account for his eight years in office or arrest and bring bandits that have hold Nigeria to ransom.

He said, “Someone went to the streets of Abuja, rounded up oppressed children, herded them into pre-trial detention with the active facilitation of the judiciary in Abuja; All for the edification of temporal power. #Nigeria’s judicial system is committed to discarding pretences of law.

“These are the same judiciary & security agencies that cannot find @OfficialGYBKogi or bring him to court or to accoint; that manage to miss the bandits & their ransom loot all the time; that certify election rigging as entirely lawful. This makes “disgraceful” sound endearing!”

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