Human rights lawyer Chidi Anselm Odinkalu has criticised the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over claims that 60 percent of Nigerian tertiary students are criminals.
Odinkalu described the statement as irresponsible and unconscionable, warning that it amounts to unlawful profiling and undermines constitutional protections.
He argued that the anti-graft agency has no legal authority to label a broad group of citizens based on social status, insisting that such generalisation does not qualify as legitimate law enforcement.
The former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission also questioned the basis of the claim, noting that no publicly available data supports the assertion and calling for evidence to be made public.
Odinkalu further maintained that young Nigerians already face significant social and economic challenges and should not be stigmatized by official statements from government institutions.
He urged the commission to focus on its core mandate of tackling corruption, rather than making sweeping claims about students.
The commission had not responded to the criticism at the time of filing this report.
Leave feedback about this