Lygel Youths and Leadership Initiatives has called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun over incarceration and arraignment of the minors involved in the #EndBadGovernance protest.
It pointed out that the process of the recent arrest, incarceration and the arraignment of the minors under pitiable condition are condemnable
The youth-inclined stressed that failure of Egebtokun to resign, it would be left with no other option than to approach the court.
The group’s Director Legal Compliance, Lekan Oladapo, made the call while addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja.
Oladapo lamented that the official reaction of the police to this unwarranted inhuman and violation of the child’s rights is a dagger blow assault of the collective intelligence of the Nigerian citizens.
He said it was becoming worrisome, that the state of abuse of the police has degenerated to the abysmal abuse of law as an instrument of acerbating violence on the Nigerian minors without any pretext.
Oladapo emphasised that the rights of the minors are non-negotiable and non-derogable as far as Section 11 of the Child’s Rights and Section 34 of the Constitution are concerned.
He was of the opinion that the way and manner the minors were detained, lumped with the adult detainees was a violent breach of their rights to human dignity on which the violation cannot be ordinarily compensated.
Oladapo noted: “Without fear of contradictions, the Inspector-General of Police should be relieved of his duty as a responsible officer of this ignominious act. After all, he has outlived his statutory tenure in the service. Mr. President and the Police Council must wade in to salvage Nigerians from the messy situation we find ourselves .
“On a general note, there is need more to do on the police reform, for the IGP has arrogated so much power to himself that needed to be checkmated.
“Flowing from the state of things, there is needed to restructure the Police Council beyond mere advisory roles it plays in the appointment of the IGP. It is evident that the IGP survives on the pleasure of Mr. President alone, which gives them the leverage to use the office for political purposes, dancing to the tune of appointer.
“We as an organisation with the object of good leadership and youth development is following this up to ensure that needed reform is brought up to bring sanity to the polity.
“If the IGP is not removed or resigned, we would not hesitate to take the needed legal process for Mr. President and his Police Council of Advisers to do the needful.”
