Minister of Interior Laments Over 26,000 Children Held in Detention

Minister of Interior addresses the alarming number of children in Custodial centres in Nigeria.

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior has decried the staggering number of children incarcerated in correctional centres in Nigeria.

The minister said the last five years have seen an alarming number of over twenty-six thousand(26,000) children in custodial centres, which makes up over 30% of inmates in correctional facilities.

He called for urgent reform in the criminal justice system and stated that measures should be put in place to prevent vulnerable groups from undergoing many unpleasant situations.

In a statement released on Wednesday through the director of press, Ozoya Imohimi, at the Ministry’s stakeholders meeting in Abuja, the minister addressed the issue of children held in corrections facilities and called for immediate action to aid their release.

He said, “The Minister of Interior expressed concern over the presence of children in correctional centres, highlighting it as a violation of laws requiring their placement in borstal institutions.”

He explained that the 2024 report on children and young adults deprived of liberty presents a sobering reality, an alarming 26,000 children have been held annually in correctional facilities over the past five years.

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He said that the figure represents over 30% of the total inmate population, raising serious concerns about violations of child protection laws and acknowledged the lack of adequate facilities. He called for urgent action and penalties to address these legal and institutional gaps.

“The presence of children in custodial centres violates laws mandating their placement in borstal institutions so that they can undergo reformation in line with their age.”

Present at the meeting include the representatives of the Ministers of Justice; Women Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs; UNICEF and other development partners who gathered to address the urgent issue of children deprived of liberty in correctional facilities.

Tunji-Ojo called for collaborations from agencies and government organs to ensure that the rights of children are protected and secured.

He also stated that measures are being put in place to investigate breaches and any institution or individual found guilty of such acts would face the law squarely.

He assured that plans are in place to establish a Nigerian Paramilitary Academy where officers would be trained in empathy and rehabilitation principles.