The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has dismissed allegations that juvenile protesters from the recent #EndBadGovernance demonstrations were held in adult cells at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja. According to NCoS officials, these claims are false, and the Service remains committed to proper handling of juvenile detainees in line with established laws and standards.
The controversy began when 76 individuals, including many reportedly underage, were arrested and arraigned in connection with the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests. Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja instructed that underage defendants be sent to juvenile centers, known as borstals, while adult defendants were to be held in regular correctional cells until they met bail conditions.
However, reports surfaced suggesting that the Kuje facility lacked separate juvenile accommodations, sparking public concern and media speculation. In response, NCoS spokesman Umar Abubakar issued a statement refuting these claims. He explained that the allegations were “misleading” and emphasized that the NCoS operates according to the Nigerian Correctional Service Act of 2019, which prohibits holding juveniles in adult facilities.
Abubakar stressed that the law empowers facility managers to reject any intake if a center reaches capacity, ensuring no juveniles are mistakenly held in adult custody.
He stated, “There are misleading reports 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.
“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,” he explained.
“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.”
