NIGERIAN children are among those facing the death penalty after they were charged for participating in a protest against the country’s record cost-of-living crisis.

Four of the 29 detained children, aged between 14 and 17, collapsed in court due to exhaustion before they could enter a plea on Friday.

A total of 76 protesters have been charged with 10 felony counts including treason, destruction of property, public disturbance and mutiny related to their involvement in several mass protests in recent months.

In August, at least 20 people were shot dead and hundreds more arrested at a protest demanding better opportunities and jobs for young people.

Lawyer Akintayo Balogun said the Child Rights Act does not allow any child to be subject to criminal proceedings and sentenced to death.

“So taking minors before a federal high court is wrong,” he said.

The court eventually granted 10 million naira (£4,600) bail to each of the defendants and imposed stringent conditions they are yet to meet, Marshal Abubakar, counsel to some of the boys, said.

He said: “A country that has a duty to educate its children will decide to punish those children.

“These children have been in detention for 90 days without food.”

Yemi Adamolekun of Enough is Enough, a civil society organisation promoting good governance in Nigeria, said authorities have no business prosecuting children.

“The chief justice of Nigeria should be ashamed, she is a woman and a mother,” she said.

Nigeria, despite being a leading African oil producer, remains one of the world’s poorest nations.

Last week, Nigeria was classified as a “hotspot of very high concern,” in a report from United Nations’ food agencies, as large numbers of people are facing or are projected to face critical levels of acute food insecurity in the West African country.