Nigerians have reacted with confusion and skepticism following the circulation of photos showing released #EndBadGovernance protesters in Kaduna.
The protesters, who were initially charged with treason, were released this week after a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the charges, with the Nigerian government’s legal team withdrawing its case, citing that many defendants were minors.
In a gesture of goodwill, the Kaduna State Government, led by Governor Sani Uba, gifted each of the newly freed protesters N100,000 and a smartphone. The move aimed to support their reintegration and acknowledge the national outrage that had grown over the minors’ detention. Photos from the event showed the recipients receiving the government’s gifts.
However, many Nigerians have raised questions about the inconsistency in the appearance of the protesters. Social media users noted discrepancies between images showing the young defendants at their arraignment and the older individuals receiving gifts. This has led to widespread speculation over whether all the recipients of the state’s gesture were genuinely minors or were among those initially detained.
Read some netizens’ reactions to the viral photos of the acclaimed minors below;
amid_freshoutboi: “These guys look different from those we saw in court na.”
mc_apapa: “Even metamorphosis no dey happen this fast, children turn adults overnight.”
randosmedia: “Wow. What an Overnight Growth. From Minors to Adults! Na Thunder go fire all of una. Na Only Mumu una go deceive sha.”
the_bond_villain: “It’s the beards that did it for me a whole minor abi miner.”
etanolgram: “I don’t understand, were these the same kids we saw in court. Abi them mature within few days? Because I no dey understand the kind long heads wey I dey see for here.”
The situation follows a wave of public backlash against the government for detaining minors on charges of treason, a case that had also drawn international criticism. The Attorney General’s office responded by filing an application to drop the charges, aiming to address the concerns of Nigerians and international observers over the treatment of youth in the judicial system.
As the images continue to spark debate online, Nigerians are demanding transparency from the government regarding the identities of the released protesters and the criteria for receiving the Kaduna State government’s support.
