Minors!

By Clement Odia

TODAY, minors bear the brunt of state oppression,
Sprawling on the floors,
Worn out by hunger’s pangs,
Like war victims, buffeted and helpless,
Enslaved by thirst, like drought-ravaged villages.

Broken by prison walls, like hardened criminals,
Their cries echo through iron cages, unheeded.
No, your lordship, these are MINORS!
Stung by uniformed hornets, wielding power.

Before the world, they’re paraded, charged with treason,
Their childhood lost, their future uncertain.
Ten million naira bail, an insurmountable sum,
For minors bruised by hunger, like accident victims.

Your Excellency, we implore, let mercy reign,
Send these minors home, to heal and rediscover.
Reform their minds with education’s nourishing fare,
And let the hand of pardon cradle them with care.