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About 26,000 children enter Nigerian custodial and remand facilities every year, with the majority awaiting trial and many lacking legal representation, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has disclosed.
Speaking at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in Port Harcourt, the minister said about 74 per cent of children in custody are held in pre-trial detention, while 68 per cent have no lawyer from their first contact with the justice system.
She said the figures point to major gaps in Nigeria’s child justice system, particularly in the early stages following arrest.
The minister called for stronger implementation of diversion policies, which allow children accused of less serious offences to receive supervision, guidance, rehabilitation, reconciliation or other alternatives instead of formal prosecution and detention.
She also urged the NBA to establish Duty Solicitor Schemes nationwide, allowing children in custody to gain access to lawyers within 24 hours.
Other recommendations include the establishment of substantive family courts, mobile family and children’s courts for underserved communities, stronger training for police and legal practitioners, and a presumption of minority where a child’s age cannot immediately be established.
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