72 minors charged with treason not in our custody, says correctional service

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has denied claims that 72 minors arraigned on treason charges before a Federal High Court in Abuja are being held in its facilities.

In a statement issued on Saturday, NCoS spokesperson ACC Abubakar Umar clarified that the Nigerian Correctional Service Act of 2019 explicitly prohibits juveniles from being admitted into adult custodial centers, empowering Controllers of Corrections and Superintendents in charge of these centers to reject minors.

The Act also requires the Service to decline additional admissions when a facility is at full capacity, Umar noted.

According to the statement, “Misleading reports are making the rounds in some sections of the media purporting that the suspects who were arraigned before Justice Obiora Egwuatu at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, for treason, during the End Bad Governance protest that held in August 2024, were remanded in one of the adult custodial centres in Abuja.

READ ALSO :Farooq Kperogi : Tinubu’s tragic trial of Nigeria’s malnourished minors

“The said report has no iota of truth as the Service operates based on best correctional and global practices. To set records straight, the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019 has empowered the Controllers of Corrections as well as Superintendents-in-charge of Custodial Centres not to admit juveniles in facilities meant for adults. The Act also mandates the Service to reject more intake of inmates where it is apparent that the custodial facility in question is filled to capacity.

“The Service wishes to inform the public that the said suspects were rejected and none of the suspects was remanded in adult custodial facilities as insinuated by the said report.

“The Service assures the public that the Nigerian Correctional Service would continue to emphasize professionalism as well as respect for human rights in line with the United Nations Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Juvenile offenders.

“Furthermore, the general public is enjoined to discountenance the said report as it is not the true position of things.”

The NCoS reiterated its commitment to international standards in correctional practices and to safeguarding the rights of juveniles.