Following this decision, the minors have been released and are reportedly en route to the presidential villa for a courtesy visit with President Bola Tinubu.
On Tuesday, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, took over the case file and informed the Federal High Court in Abuja about his intention to discontinue the charges against the protesters.
The application for discontinuance was presented by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPPF), Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, citing sections 174(1)(b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution and section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
Additionally, the DPPF requested that the proceedings be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in accordance with section 266(b) of the ACJA and section 1 of the Child Rights Act.
Human rights lawyer Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, along with other defense attorneys, did not oppose the applications, leading Justice Obiora Egwuatu to strike out the charges.
Earlier, four minors, part of a group of 76 persons charged by the Nigeria Police Force for participating in the protest, collapsed before their arraignment last Friday.
The teenagers, aged 14 to 17, appeared ill and malnourished upon arrival at the court, prompting the police to remove them from the charge sheet while proceeding with the case against other defendants, who were granted stringent bail conditions.
In response to the public outcry that followed the minors’ arraignment, the AGF directed an immediate review of the case.
Within 24 hours of this directive, President Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of the charges and initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the minors’ arrest and detention.