Detained Minors: ‘This Shows Heartlessness And Lack Of Fatherly Love’ – Timi Frank Blasts Tinubu

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has knocked President Bola Tinubu over failure to order the release of minors arraigned last Friday in Abuja, despite public outcry.

Naija News reported that the Nigeria Police arraigned the minors on Friday for alleged treason and later granted N10 million bail to each, while the matter was adjourned till January 2025.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Timi Frank said Tinubu’s failure to order the unconditional release of minors being detained over participation in the #EndBadGovernance protests shows heartless and lack of fatherly love for children.

He equally condemned the N10million bail posted by Justice Friday Egwuatu of the Federal High Court Abuja to be fulfilled by each of the minors before being allowed to regain their freedom, describing it as judicial tyranny and cruelty to children.

He lamented that the children had spent over 90 days in detention under inhuman conditions, stressing that even looters in the country who contributed to impoverishing and confining these kids to the streets do not get similar treatment.

Frank further called on the international community and child’s rights advocates to come to the aid of the minors and ensure they are released.

He said: “For President Tinubu not to have ordered the release of these children since Friday but watched them sent to prison despite public outcry, shows heartlessness and lack of fatherly love and care for children.

“Even in Western countries like US and the UK, chilldren who are convicted of crimes of murder are not sent to jail but rather taken to juvenile homes for psychological therapy and rehabilitation. That is what Nigerians expected from the President.

“The silence of the President over these cruelty to children is one more reason that Nigerians have resolved to nickname him ‘T-Pain’ because the plight of these children ought to compel the President to act a leader with conscience by considering these minors as his grand children or great grandchildren.

“The President must ditch bureaucracy at this time and immediately order the release of these children with a directive that they be immediately enrolled in school.

“Having watched the children sent to jail, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Justice Minister, Lateef Fagbemi’s (SAN) after thought in retrieving their case file from the Police is merely a delayed tactics which further aggravates the trauma these children are presently going through.

“They have sold their conscience too. That’s why a judge can post N10million and other stiff requirements as condition for each kid to be granted bail.”