Scenes of young Nigerians fainting while in court over their involvement in widespread anti-government protests have sparked controversy.
Scenes of young Nigerians fainting while in court over their involvement in widespread anti-government protests have sparked controversy over detention conditions and police violence.
On Friday, 76 Nigerians, many of them minors, were taken to court in the capital Abuja to stand trial almost three months after their arrest for taking part in demonstrations against the country’s economic crisis. Social media was awash with videos showing several youths — likely underage — sitting or lying on the courtroom floor, holding their stomachs while half-faint.“The footage reveals minors, some so weak that they could barely stand, others fainting from sheer exhaustion and lack of nourishment,” said politician Peter Obi, who unsuccessfully contested the 2023 presidential election.
At least 21 people have been killed by the Nigerian security forces in this year’s protests, dubbed “#EndBadGovernance”, according to Amnesty International.Police violence has long been a sensitive issue in Nigeria, especially in the aftermath of the EndSARS protests in October 2020 calling for the dismantling of a police unit infamous for its brutality.
On October 20, 2020 police and soldiers opened fire on a peaceful rally in Lagos, putting down the biggest anti-government demonstrations in recent Nigerian history.
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