- He listed Obafemi Awolowo, J.S. Tarka, Moshood Abiola, Tinubu and some journalists among victims of trumped up treason charges by government
Femi Falana, human rights activist and lawyer, has faulted president Bola Tinubu decision to arraign minors for treason punishable by death.
Falana said such arraignment by the Tinubu government is akin to the repressive behaviour and disposition of authoritarians and dictators.
Falana expressed his revulsion at the arraignment in a scathing article published on Monday.
The legal luminary liken Tinubu to dictators like Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha who “made a complete mockery of the law by charging every imaginary enemy with treason”
He listed Obafemi Awolowo, J.S. Tarka, Moshood Abiola, Tinubu and some journalists among victims of trumped up treason charges by government.
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.”
Falana said it was ironical that Tinubu who was forced to flee the country during the brutal dictatorship of Abuja is now allowing security operatives to arraign protesters for treason.
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,” 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.”
Tinubu came under heavy criticism 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.
Humiliated by the disturbing pictures and videos of the malnourished kids in court and the public opprobrium that followed their arraignment, Tinubu did a volte-face and asked the country’s justice minister, Lateef Fagbemi, to drop the charges against the underage children who faced a potential death sentence.
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