Nigeria’s juvenile justice system under scrutiny as experts warn of rising risks to society

Nigeria’s juvenile justice system has come under renewed scrutiny, with legal experts, child-rights advocates, and justice sector actors warning that continued neglect of children in conflict with the law poses long-term risks to national security, social stability, and crime prevention. These concerns were raised in Abuja during a Sub-National Dialogue on Juvenile Justice System Reform, […]

Nigeria’s juvenile justice system has come under renewed scrutiny, with legal experts, child-rights advocates, and justice sector actors warning that continued neglect of children in conflict with the law poses long-term risks to national security, social stability, and crime prevention.
These concerns were raised in Abuja during a Sub-National Dialogue on Juvenile Justice System Reform, organised under the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC Phase II) Programme, implemented by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

Speaking at the dialogue, Joshua Gbenga Dada, a Programme Officer with RoLAC, said years of programme engagement with the criminal justice system had revealed alarming gaps in how Nigeria treats children who come in contact with the law. He noted that despite children being among the most vulnerable members of society, the juvenile justice system has “not received the attention it deserves.”
According to him, Nigeria has only a handful of borstal institutions, many of which are either dysfunctional or poorly equipped to serve their rehabilitative purpose. He added that family courts, juvenile judges, and trained social workers remain grossly inadequate across the country, forcing many children into adult-oriented justice processes.
“Children are delicate. How they are treated today determines the kind of adults they become tomorrow,” Dada said. “When children are processed through adult custodial systems, the likelihood of recidivism increases, and society ends up producing more hardened criminals.”

Participants expressed concern over reports of minors being detained in police stations for days, a practice described as unlawful and harmful. Under Nigeria’s child-protection framework, children are expected to be handled through juvenile welfare centres and family courts, not conventional detention facilities.

Legal scholar Professor Cheluchi Onyemelukwe, Executive Director of the Centre for Health, Ethics, Law and Development (CHELD), attributed many of the challenges to poor implementation of existing laws. She explained that Nigeria already has the Child Rights Act and provisions under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which clearly establish detention as a measure of last resort for children.
“The laws are there, but implementation is weak and inconsistent,” she said, citing cases where children were arraigned in open courts or detained alongside adults, in clear violation of legal safeguards.

Representatives of the Nigerian Correctional Service also addressed concerns, insisting that juveniles are not kept in custodial centres meant for adults. However, stakeholders argued that the limited number of functional juvenile facilities means many children still fall through institutional gaps.
The dialogue, according to organisers, is intended to generate practical, region-specific solutions that will inform broader justice-sector reforms. Stakeholders agreed that unless Nigeria adopts a rehabilitative, child-centred approach, the consequences will be felt far beyond the justice system, affecting public safety and social cohesion.