Femi Falana, human rights activist and lawyer, has excoriated President Bola Tinubu over the arraignment of minors for treason punishable by death.

Mr Falana, in an article published on Monday, said the dictatorships of Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha “made a complete mockery of the law by charging every imaginary enemy with treason,” listing Obafemi Awolowo, J.S. Tarka, Moshood Abiola, Mr Tinubu and some journalists among victims of skewed treason charges. 

Mr Falana said, “Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his political associates were charged with treasonable felony, convicted and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. Since then, the country has witnessed a complete trivialisation of treason in the hands of civilian and military wings of the Nigerian ruling class.”

Last week, the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court dismissed the treason charges against minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest.

“Ironically, President Bola Tinubu, who had fled the country to escape the death penalty under a murderous dictator, has allowed the police to charge protesters, including minors, with treason for challenging the untold economic hardship arising from the religious implementation of neoliberal economic policies dictated by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank,” Mr Falana explained.

He added, “But for the abrupt termination of the treason charge because of the global condemnation of the trial of child protesters for treason, the regime would have prayed the Federal High Court to convict and sentence 130 Nigerians for exercising their fundamental rights to assemble peacefully and express themselves via the August 2024 protest.”

Mr Tinubu came under fire for the treason trial of minors, who have been in detention for over 90 days after four of them collapsed while appearing for trial in court. 

Shamefaced, Mr Tinubu, amid widespread opprobrium, was forced to ask the country’s justice minister, Lateef Fagbemi, to drop the charges against the underage children who faced a potential death sentence.