Legal luminary, Chief Femi Falana SAN, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to facilitate the full reintegration of minors recently discharged from treason charges by enrolling them in schools immediately.
This comes as the Senior Advocate of Nigeria hinted that he would take the Federal Government to court if the minors are not sent to school, emphasizing that simply withdrawing the case is insufficient.
Speaking at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja while reviewing a book titled Judiciary Terrorism by Richard Akinnola, Falana disclosed that the Tinubu-led government had planned to bring another set of 29 minors from Maiduguri to Abuja for arraignment, avoiding further international embarrassment by canceling the charges at the last minute.
According to him, “Just this morning before this program commenced, I was at the courts here in Abuja, where 119 Nigerians, including twenty-nine minors, were brought to court. But the government was so ashamed that it couldn’t take them to the courtroom, unlike last week. The government came to the court this morning to withdraw the frivolous charges, so these young people have now been freed.
“As I said to the court, it’s not enough to terminate this trial. These young people, who should have been in school instead of protesting, must be rehabilitated by the government. We will ensure they are rehabilitated and sent to school. If the government fails, we will sue them. It’s the government’s responsibility, as per the Child Rights Act, which mandates free and compulsory education for every child from primary to secondary school in Nigeria.”
In a related statement, the Catholic Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, expressed optimism that the worst period in Nigeria’s history is over and urged citizens to remain united. He noted that issues arise because many citizens do not fully appreciate the value of having a nation, encouraging them to consider regions like Gaza and Lebanon to understand the importance of national unity.
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According to him, “We might assume that the worst times in our history are over, but let us remain united. This country is a treasure, and people have laid down their lives for it. Many Nigerians don’t know what it is to be without a country. Look at Gaza, Lebanon, and Valencia—places where natural disasters are sweeping away hundreds of thousands daily. Yet, in Nigeria, we are turning against one another. Going forward, the most important thing for you as a Christian is to develop a spirit of forgiveness and trust in the divine will of God.”
Also, former Director-General of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, criticized the Nigerian judicial system for retaining “military parasites” 32 years after the return to civil rule. Represented by Owei Lakemfa, he recalled how former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, was allegedly humiliated by the Buhari administration, which accused him of false asset declaration to remove him. Onnoghen was eventually acquitted in November 2024.
Responding to Odinkalu’s remarks, former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd), argued that the entire military should not be viewed negatively because of a few personnel who misuse power. He explained that the military, like any institution, includes individuals who misuse power but maintained that this does not reflect the character of the institution as a whole.
According to him, “When you talk about military terrorism, it implies that the entire Nigerian military is capable of ignoble acts, which is not true. Misuse of power can happen in any institution, including the judiciary. It’s individuals who should be held accountable, not the entire system. Our curriculum does not teach coups or misuse of power. The military remains an establishment for the Nigerian people, not an institution engaged in abnormalities.”
