The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has expressed deep concern over the incarceration of over 26,000 children in Nigeria’s custodial centres, describing the situation as alarming and calling for urgent reforms in the criminal justice system.
Speaking at a high-level inter-agency stakeholder meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, Tunji-Ojo revealed that children make up 30 per cent of the total inmate population in correctional facilities across the country.
A statement by the ministry’s Director of Press, Ozoya Imohimi, quoted the minister as saying, “Approximately 26,000 children are held in correctional facilities annually, representing over 30 per cent of the total inmate population. This statistic raises serious concerns regarding child protection laws. The presence of children in custodial centres violates existing laws mandating their placement in borstal institutions for proper reformation in line with their age.”
He assured that violations of these laws would be investigated, warning that institutions failing to comply would face consequences.
The minister also disclosed plans to establish a Nigerian Paramilitary Academy to train correctional officers in empathy and rehabilitation principles. Additionally, he emphasised the need for non-custodial measures for non-violent offenders and called for greater collaboration between ministries and state governments to address juvenile detention.
Tunji-Ojo reiterated the federal government’s commitment to overhauling the correctional system to better protect vulnerable groups, especially children, in custody.
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