About five malnourished teenagers collapsed just minutes after their arraignment began at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday.
The detained 76 #EndBadGovernance protesters arrived at the Federal High Court in Abuja for their scheduled arraignment before Justice Obiora Egwuatu looking scraggly and heavily malnourished. The 76 protesters made up of 32 Minors and 44 others.
The defendants were divided into two batches of 76 and 49 for arraignment before Justice Obiora Egwuatu.
As the first batch was called, some defendants suddenly fell while mounting the dock.
The judge promptly suspended proceedings and summoned health officials from the court’s clinic to attend to those who collapsed.
According to defense lawyer Marshall Abubakar, the collapse was due to hunger and ill-health.
He said: “All these young children are sick and hungry. They have been kept in police custody for weeks without food and proper medical care. They are sick and need proper attention. That is the cause of these unfortunate developments.”
