The Nigerian Federal Government has issued a four-week ultimatum to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to address systemic failures in juvenile detention centers, including unlawful child detention, abuse, and inhumane conditions. The directive, announced by Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary Dr. Magdalene Ajani during a public hearing of the Independent Investigative Panel on Alleged Corruption and Other Violations Against the NCoS, underscores urgent concerns over human rights violations within the correctional system.
Ajani, chairing the panel, criticized the mixing of minors with adult inmates, questioning the legality of admitting children to borstal institutions—youth detention centers—without court orders. “Some of these children were never taken to court. Where are these warrants coming from? Do security agencies have authority to commit children without judicial oversight?” she asked. She demanded the immediate transfer of adults from juvenile facilities and accused the NCoS of administrative lapses, including poor healthcare and budgetary neglect of infants born to incarcerated women.
Reports of mentally ill inmates being confined without treatment drew particular scrutiny. Despite proximity to the Abeokuta Psychiatric Hospital, one of Nigeria’s leading mental health facilities, Ajani noted such individuals were being “chained without assessment or care.” She described conditions at one unnamed center as “horrible,” pressing the NCoS to submit a compliance report within 28 days.
Panel Secretary Dr. Uju Agomoh outlined broader investigations into corruption, torture, and systemic abuses across correctional facilities. Case studies included an inmate at Kuje Correctional Centre allegedly threatened and defrauded by staff, and a probe into whether social media personality Idris Okuneye (Bobrisky) fully served his sentence. The panel’s methodology combines document reviews, facility inspections, and stakeholder interviews, with the NCoS cooperating fully.
While Ajani emphasized the panel’s reform-focused mandate, she stressed accountability: “This isn’t about indicting individuals but addressing systemic gaps.” The findings highlight longstanding critiques of Nigeria’s justice system, particularly its treatment of vulnerable populations. With the four-week deadline now set, observers await measures to decongest facilities, protect minors, and align operations with international human rights standards.
