The Federal Government has issued a four-week ultimatum to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to address widespread allegations of abuse, unlawful detention of minors, and other irregularities in juvenile custodial centres across the country.
The directive was given by Magdalene Ajani, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, during the third public hearing of the independent investigative panel on alleged corruption and rights violations by the NCoS.
Ajani, who chairs the panel, expressed deep concern over the mixing of juveniles with adult inmates, poor welfare conditions, and systemic administrative lapses within the correctional system.
“You are going to send to the ministry the status report of all the borstal centres that have been completed or not; requisites or not,” she said, according to NAN.
Ajani questioned the legal basis for admitting minors without due process, revealing that some had never been presented in court.
She directed the immediate removal of adult inmates from facilities designated for juveniles and stressed that the panel was committed to safeguarding the dignity of those in custody.
“Now we are hearing that some of these children were never even taken to court. So, where exactly are these warrants coming from? Are security agencies issuing them? And if so, do they have the authority to commit children to foster centres without any court involvement?” she asked.
The Permanent Secretary also expressed outrage over reports that inmates with mental health challenges were being held without treatment, despite being near psychiatric institutions.
“It’s not enough to chain people. It’s not even allowed for you to chain them without proper assessment and treatment,” she said, citing the example of Abeokuta, where mentally ill inmates had not been transferred to the city’s psychiatric hospital.
On the welfare of children born to incarcerated women, Ajani urged the NCoS to make adequate budgetary provisions and ensure that those who should not be in custody are released without delay.
She ordered the service to report back to the ministry within four weeks, providing evidence of compliance.
“Four weeks is enough for you to sort out the problem, whatever it is. Four weeks,” she emphasised.
