The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, clarified on Monday that the recently pardoned minors were not participants in the EndBadGovernance protests, contrary to some reports in local and international media.
Egbetokun provided this clarification while speaking to journalists during a workshop with the Heads of Police Investigative Units in Abuja.
Emphasizing the importance of child-friendly policing in modern law enforcement, Egbetokun stated that all interactions involving children—whether they are victims, witnesses, or even offenders—must be handled with utmost sensitivity and professionalism.
According to him, “There were 76 of them that were taken to court. I think about four or five of them were found to be minors. I don’t know the exact number. Some of them were found to be minors.
“I don’t want to make any categorical statement on this issue again, after the intervention of Mr. President. I just want to thank Mr. President for his fatherly intervention to give those children pardon. But I want to use this opportunity to correct an impression.
“The impression that those minors were arrested for participating in the EndBadGovernance protest. That is a wrong narrative. It is not true.
“The police did not arrest anybody who participated in the EndBadGovernance protest. We arrested criminals, who took advantage of the protest to cause destruction to public infrastructure, to destroy private businesses, to commit a sin. Those ones cannot be regarded as protesters.
“The police did not arrest any protester. Police gave escort to protesters. We protected the protesters. But we arrested the criminals. So it’s a wrong narrative.
“It is mischievous for anybody to push that narrative out that those 76 suspects that were arraigned in court were people, who participated in the EndBadGovernance protest.
“We have said time and time that to protest is a right of citizens. But the constitution that gives you the right to protest also gives you the right to respect the rights of others. So, we don’t go against people who come out to protest.
“We even protect them. But those who come out to commit crime are the ones who have confrontation with us. So, please, help us correct this impression.”
Follow the Parallel Facts channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
