Following the outrage caused by the arraignment of 32 minors before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, November 1, 2024, over charges of treason, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi has commenced moves to drop the charges levelled against children.
A statement issued by the AGF shortly after the arraignment process said he is interested in taking over the matter from the Inspector General of Police.
According to Mr Lateef, his office would like to review the case and some of the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the minors.
He said, “There are some issues my office will need to look into regarding the matter to enable me to make an informed decision.
“It is not within my power to vary the court order remanding the defendants in detention centres and adjourning the case to January. I have, however, directed the Nigeria Police to transfer the case file to my office and hand it over to the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation tomorrow, Saturday, November 2, 2024.
“I have further directed the DPPF to immediately initiate steps to request an earlier adjournment date,” the AGF noted.
However, sources within the Ministry of Justice have said while the IGP has submitted the case file to the OAGF, there are plans by the AGF to drop the charges against the defendants.
