Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has criticised the detention of 73 Kano children arrested by the police and subsequently charged with treason felony in Abuja......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The children, accused of participating in the #EndBadGovernance protest, were discharged yesterday by the Federal High Court and later received by the Kano State government. The children were admitted to Muhammadu Buhari Specialists Hospital, receiving medical evaluations since their arrival.
Emir Sanusi, who spoke with journalists after inspecting the children at the hospital, expressed concern that innocent minors were subjected to untold punishment while the real culprits were left moving freely on the streets.
The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regretted that some of the children were picked up by the police on their way to school, having nothing to do with the #EndBadGovernance protest.
Sanusi, however, challenged concerned authorities to go after the adults who perpetrated the atrocities in the interest of justice.
“I am here to visit our children brought from Abuja. Many of them were in detention for three months, some in prison, and some in police cells. Many of them are in serious medical conditions, but we pray to Allah that they will be okay.
“Upon interviewing them, many of them are students who go to school and were picked up on the streets, not even in the middle of any kind of violent act. I urge the authorities to focus on the adults who started this riot.
“The riot happened in Kano. Photographs were taken, people were identified, and those people have been walking around the streets, including in Abuja, while these children have been in custody.
“We hope that, in the interest of justice, when things like this happen, we would identify the culprits, arrest them, and prosecute them rather than going after innocent children,” Sanusi said.
The emir applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for intervening in the trial, which he said had ultimately saved the lives of the 73 children.