A civil society group, Women Aid Collective Nigeria, has urged the Federal Government to redirect offending minors from formal judicial processes and to separate children from adults in detention facilities.
The CSO also stated that detention and trial of minors should be a last resort, adding that where necessary, a juvenile court or juvenile court should handle the proceedings.
Recall that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had on Friday, arraigned 76 #EndBadGovernance protesters before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, among whom were minors.
Viral videos of the malnourished children sparked outrage over the weekend with some civil society groups calling for their immediate and unconditional release from detentions
In a statement on Sunday, the Executive Director of WACOL, Prof Joy Ezeilo, noted that recent events involving the arraignment of minors undermined the country’s justice system and represented a clear violation of state, national, regional, and international children’s rights laws.
“Children’s rights are human rights, and Nigerian children’s rights must be respected and upheld. Children who are in conflict with the law should be redirected away from the formal judicial process. Recent events have significantly undermined our justice system, representing a clear violation of state, national, regional, and international legal frameworks concerning children’s rights and the justice system”.
“Children who are alleged to have committed crimes must be kept separate from adults in detention facilities. Their privacy and identities should be protected. Detention and trial should only be used as a last resort, and if necessary, a Juvenile Court or Juvenile Judge should handle such proceedings”.
The administration of the criminal or the juvenile justice system must ensure a treatment that promotes their sense of dignity and worth, considers their age, and aims at their reintegration into society to assume a constructive role,” the statement read.
Ezeilo called for an end to the “ugly phenomenon” of starving children charged with mutiny and treason, stating that it shamed Nigeria as a nation and that a prosecutor should always do the right thing in the court of law.
“This ugly phenomenon of starving children facing charges of mutiny and treasonable felonies must stop. It shames us as a nation. We demand accountability now for those who failed to respect extant laws. A prosecutor should know better and always do the right thing in the temple of justice,” she added.
