The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCos) has attributed the unlawful detention of minors in adult custodial centres to systemic failures at the state level.
On Monday, during the third public hearing of the Independent Investigative Panel on alleged corruption, abuse of power, torture, and other inhumane treatment by the NCoS, the Head of Welfare Department of the Service, Timothy Dabit, also blamed the states for the collapse of juvenile remand homes across the country.
Dabit, who offered detailed explanations for the presence of underage detainees in adult correctional facilities, also urged state governments to uphold their constitutional responsibility in handling youth offenders.
He explained that a child is usually received along with a warrant, and based on that document, the personnel are expected to admit the individual.
“In most cases, the warrant contains information about the child, but when the child is brought to an adult correctional centre, we often have to question the police about why such a child is being sent there. It becomes a matter of contention, and we rely on the police to justify the decision,” Dabit explained.
According to Dabit, one of the primary reasons minors are sometimes admitted into adult correctional centres is the absence of functional juvenile facilities near the point of arrest.
With only three functional juvenile facilities in Kaduna, Ilorin and Abeokuta, he noted, geographical constraints and lack of facilities often force officials to house minors in inappropriate environments.
Dabit also cited overcrowding and capacity challenges.
“The data of the correctional centres, that is the borstal institutions — the capacity of Kaduna is supposed to be 288, Ilorin is 250, Abeokuta is 250. But because of the lack of these institutions, we have this inmate overcapacity, except for that of Ilorin,” he noted.
He emphasised that the only borstal institution currently functioning for remand purposes is Abeokuta.
“If you go to Ilorin, you are not going to find inmates or awaiting trial people. So it is only Abeokuta that is requisite for that duty,” he noted.
The NCoS official underscored that the legal responsibility to provide remand homes lies with state governments, adding that the establishment of remand homes is, at the core view, the constitutional duty of the state governors, even before now.
He appealed to the investigative panel to pressure state governments into reviving remand facilities to prevent the incarceration of minors in adult prisons.
Despite the NCoS’s defence, however, representatives of the Nigerian Association of Clinical Psychologists and the Nigerian Psychological Association expressed deep concern over the treatment of minors and vulnerable populations in correctional institutions.
A clinical psychologist speaking on behalf of both associations, Dr. Abigail Onu, praised the panel for opening a national dialogue on systemic abuses but condemned the ongoing detention of underage individuals in adult prisons.
She urged the government to remove children under 18 from adult facilities and provide specialised care centres or approve orphanages with psychological and medical support.
She stressed the psychological damage children face in such settings, referencing the long-term effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences, and called for nationwide reforms including the recruitment of more psychologists, trauma-informed care, and expanded mental health services within the correctional system.
