Experts Decry Nigeria’s Ranking as 3rd Highest in Global Child Detention
At the just-concluded Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference (AGC) in Enugu, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other participants made a strong appeal for urgent reforms to protect children in detention and strengthen child justice in Nigeria.
During the session on “Ending Detention of Children,” moderator Uchenna Emereonye and lead discussant, Uju Agomoh, Executive Director of PRAWA, presented disturbing evidence on the plight of children deprived of liberty in the country.
They revealed that Nigeria ranks among the top three countries in the world with the highest number of children in detention, many of whom are illegally held in the same cells as adults, in violation of both national and international laws.
Agomoh, a renowned health practitioner and human rights advocate, cited UNICEF-supported statistics showing that about 70% of young detainees lack access to legal representation.
She called on the NBA to play a leading role in ending arbitrary detention of children by ensuring that existing legal frameworks, including the Nigerian Correctional Services Act 2019, which prohibits custodial centres from admitting children not meant for their facilities, are fully enforced.
She further stressed that the NBA must step up in raising awareness, advocating for reforms, and providing specialised training for lawyers on child justice. Collaboration between legal professionals and social movements, she said, is vital in ensuring compliance with the law and in safeguarding children’s rights.
The call to action was clear: The Nigerian Bar must stand tall in ending child detention and be the voice that protects the nation’s children from abuse of their liberty.
This aligns with the law, which states that no child shall be subjected to torture or unlawful deprivation of liberty, and that detention of children shall be used only as a measure of last resort, for the shortest appropriate time, and with strict separation from adults.
