Senate seeks prosecution of officials behind unlawful incarceration of minors

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Senate has directed the Federal Ministry of Justice to ensure the prosecution of any official of the Correctional Service found complicit in the unjustified incarceration of minors.

It also directed its Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters; and Interior to investigate the circumstances surrounding the admission of each inmate of the Borstal facilities and come up with appropriate recommendations to the Senate.

The chamber, directed the relevant authorities to ensure the implementation of the Child Rights Act 2003; while urging State Assemblies across the country on its domestication. 

These were resolutions reached by the Senate on Wednesday, after it considered a motion on “The need to investigate admission of inmates and operations of Borstal facilities across Nigeria”

The motion was sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central).

The lawmaker, noted the Borstal Institutions’ attempt to keep delinquents out of prison and away from adult offenders, to avoid molestation and negative influence that can make them to become repeat offenders.

According to her, there are only three borstal facilities in Nigeria, situated in Kaduna, Abeokuta and Ilorin.

Tinubu observed that these Borstal facilities were established to admit only male juvenile delinquents between ages sixteen and twenty-one as at the day of conviction.

She further observed that, “Clause 9 of the Borstal Institutions and Remand Centres Act – Subsidiary Legislation, 1962 provides that Delinquents are to be admitted into the institution with a warrant from the court, committing them to a sentence of borstal training; and provides for three months observation period of the inmates.”

The lawmaker, added that, “Clause 123 of the Subsidiary Legislation also provides that Courts of competent jurisdiction may pending determination of suitability for Borstal training, order remand or detention in a Remand Centre or Borstal, provided that persons are not less than sixteen years but under twenty-one years of age.”