FG’s lawyer Ezekiel Rimazonte defends arraignment of children protesters, calls them adult, married men, netizens react
By Ishaya Ibrahim
A lawyer representing the federal government in the arraignment of children protesters, Ezekiel Rimazonte has caused a stir when he referred to the #EndBadGovernance protesters, one of whom slumped in the court as adults, married men and university graduates.
The children arraigned on Friday were part of 76 suspects, 32 of them minors arraigned before Justice Obiora Egwuatu at the Abuja division of the Federal High Court for participating in the #EndBadGovernance protests in August.
Rimazonte, in an interview after the arraignment, contradicted even the police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed that children were arraigned and that it is legal to do so.
Adejobi said during an interview on Friday with Channels Television that, “Once you are more than seven, you can be charged to court. The only thing is that you need to follow certain procedures to do that.
“But none of them is less than seven, I think the youngest should be 13. The fact that you are 13 years old doesn’t mean you cannot be charged to court.”
But Rimazonte claimed the children, some of whom look 11 years old, were all adults, married men and some even university graduates.
He said: “These boys that we brought to the court today, all of them are adults. Most of them are married men. None of them is a minor. Some of them are university graduates. The small small kids you are seeing here, they came with some of their parents to come and greet their loved ones. They are not the real suspects standing trial in this case. These boys were arrested in Kaduna and Zaria.”
The comment of Rimazonte has triggered angry reactions from netizens.
@Phatgold said: “These people make me regret studying law in Nigeria. Some of the people I call colleagues are the most despicable people in Nigeria.”
@ChikeMBANEFO said: “This same man will enter church tomorrow and be speaking in tongues.”
@ume_nwokedi said: Just when you think it can’t get any worse, there comes this useful idi○t. Meanwhile, they pass through Nigeria law school and are supposed to be learned men. All that time and money used in going to law school is wasted because this one learned absolutely nothing.
@gbengaday said: “Did he say married men? And university graduates? How will someone be on national TV and lie blatantly for what gain? God forbid.”
@QUEENOFDBLUES1 said: Rimazonte Ezekiel can’t even express himself correctly. Just listen to him using wrong words. A døømed man, defending a døømed nation. Tufiakwa!”