Abba Yusuf: We’ll do everything possible to get arraigned minors back to Kano

Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, says his administration will take all necessary measures to bring back minors believed to be from the state.

Several suspects, including minors, were on Friday arraigned for allegedly participating in the #EndBadGovernance protests.

Those arrested were said to be from Abuja, Kaduna, Gombe, Jos, Katsina, and Kano. The charges against them include terrorism, arson, and treasonable felony.

The protesters were arraigned at a federal high court in Abuja where four minors collapsed and were rushed out during proceedings.

The court later granted N10 million bail to each of the 72 defendants.

Many Nigerians, including leading politicians and civil society, have condemned the arraignment of minors.

Rimazonte Ezekiel, the federal government prosecutor, claimed that all the arraigned persons were adults and that “most of them are married men”.

Muyiwa Adejobi, spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), however, said the youngest arraigned person is 13 years old.

Reacting to the incident on his X page, the Kano governor said Haruna Dederi, the Kano attorney-general and commissioner of justice, has been directed to take immediate action on the matter.

“My attention has been drawn to the appearance of teenagers (some believed to be from Kano) in court today in Abuja,” Yusuf said.

“The Commissioner of Justice has been instructed to act immediately on the issue.

“We shall do everything possible to get them back to Kano, in sha Allah.”