Anyone more than seven years old can be arraigned in court – Nigeria Police

The Nigeria Police Force has said that anyone more than 7 years old can be charged to court.

This comes amid outrage which greeted the arraignment of #Endbadgovernance protesters on Friday.

The Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Ogunjobi, disclosed this on Friday during an interview with Channels Television.

His comment was in defence of the arraignment of 76 minors who were arrested during the #Endbadgovernance in 1-10 August, 2024 and arraigned in court for alleged treason and other offences.

Later, it was reported that the court granted the suspects N10 million bail each.

The development attracted widespread condemnations from Nigerians.

Reacting, the police spokesperson said none of the #Endbadgovernance protesters charged to court is younger than 7 years.

Ogunjobi added the 13-year-old suspect is not immune from being arraigned.

“Once you are more than 7 years old, you can be charged to court… None of them is less than 7…The fact that you are 13 years old does not mean you can’t be charged to court ”, he said.

Recall that Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, condemned the arraignment, noting that the minors are not spared from Tinubu government’s hardship.

Similarly, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and Amnesty International Nigeria asked Tinubu’s government and the court to release all the 76 arraigned minors.