Anon-governmental organisation, Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), has called for the immediate removal of Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for the ‘detaining children in dehumanized conditions in police custody’.

The group in a statement sent to SaharaReporters on Monday, stated that the detention and torture of Nigerian children who were arrested for peacefully protesting against bad governance in Nigeria, constitute a grave rights violation and a terrible attack on the “UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC),” an international instrument adopted by the United Nations in 1989, and which Nigeria is a signatory to.

“It should be clearly stated that this egregious act by the Police is also an assault on the Constitution of the Federal Republic and a monstrous attack on the “Child Rights Act 2003,” the group’s statement signed by Olu Omotayo, CRRAN President said.

He demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the children to their respective state governments for onward handover to their parents.

The group said N30 million should be paid as compensation to each child and their family for having subjected them to physical and psychological torture at police headquarters detention cells in Abuja for three months.

The group emphasised that “this type of grave right violation has never been witnessed in this country even during the military regime, therefore, we demand the immediate resignation of the Inspector General of Police and ACP Simon Lough, the Head of the Legal Department of Nigeria Police, a senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), for that matter who superintend the unlawful detention and arraignment of these Nigerian children.”

It added, “The Nigeria Police Council (NPC) which comprised of the President, all states governors, the Chairman, Police Commission and the Inspector General of Police, should convene immediately and advise for the immediate removal of the Inspector General Police from office and save this country from the shame this ignominious act has brought upon this nation.

“We are shocked that the Nigerian Police at the highest level could be associated with such an unspeakable professional blunder.

“This incident brings to the fore the issue that the “Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA)” is not working at all, if not these children would not have been in unlawful detention for three months if the FCT Judiciary had complied with Section 34 of the ACJA, which requires magistrates to inspect police stations and other detention facilities at least once a month.

“So the Chief Justice of Nigeria also has a role to play because if the Magistrates in FCT has done what is required of them this would not happen. Furthermore, it is disheartening that the learned trial Judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, who remanded the children failed to suo motu raise the issue of grave rights violations involved in the matter.

“We urge the Nigeria Police Council (NPC), to live up to its constitutional role and save this country from finally descending to a failed state.”