ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Monday ordered the immediate release of 29 children facing the death penalty after being arraigned for allegedly participating in protests against the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
Under growing pressure from activists, Tinubu also directed an investigation of the law enforcement agents involved in the arrest and prosecution of the minors, Nigeria’s Information Minister Mohammed Idris told reporters in the capital, Abuja. They are not expected to be released until Tuesday through a court order.
The children, detained since August, were among more than 70 people arraigned on Friday on charges of treason, destruction of property and mutiny after the August protests that shook the country and culminated in security operatives killing some demonstrators and arresting hundreds.
Aged 14 to 17, four of the minors collapsed due to exhaustion when they were brought to the court last week. Most others looked malnourished and lost as they pressed against one other in the dock, the rest sitting on the floor.
There had been no news of their detention until their arraignment, which sparked outrage and renewed concerns about deteriorating human rights in Africa’s most populous country.
A local court imposed stringent conditions and granted the children a bail of 10 million naira ($5,900) each, which none of them was able to meet.
It is still not clear if the children participated in the protests staged by Nigerians as they faced worsening hardship caused by the government’s economic policies that were aimed at reducing costs and stabilizing the ailing economy.
They were detained unlawfully and put through “horrifying experiences,” according to Amnesty International’s Nigeria office, one of several rights groups that demanded the children's release.
Follow AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
FILE - People run away from tear gas during a protest on the street in Kano, Nigeria, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Sani Maikatanga, File)
BANGKOK (AP) — The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.
In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 are missing.
The epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions.
Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures and with telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, it's thought the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.
The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged.
“With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,” the U.N. said. “Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.”
A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay.
With many left homeless by the earthquake, and many others staying away from their homes over fears ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw labored in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) busily erected big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.
Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.
As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule.
The military said it would still take “necessary” measures against those groups if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks.
Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed. Prior to the earthquake the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army militia group. The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.
In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By mid-afternoon, more than 144 hours after the earthquake, nobody had been found.
Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.
Associated Press writer Jintamas Saksornchai contributed to this report.
Rescuers carry the body of a victim, from a collapsed building in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo)
Rescuers carry the body of a victim, from a collapsed building in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo)
Rescue members carry a dead body from a collapsed building in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo)
Rescuers carry the body of a victim, from a collapsed building, in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo)
Rescuers scan the rubbles at the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Rescuers manually clear the rubble after getting a sign of life at the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April, 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Rescuers return after accessing the situation at the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April, 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Rescuers manually clear the rubble after getting a sign of life at the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April, 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Rescuers manually clear the rubble after getting a sign of life at the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April, 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Workers clean and wash the road outside the site of an under construction high-rise building that collapsed after an earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, April, 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
