Advertorial
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has refuted claims that 72 minors, who were arraigned in a Federal High Court in Abuja for treason, are being held in its custody.
In a statement released on Saturday, NCoS spokesman ACC Abubakar Umar clarified that the Nigerian Correctional Service Act of 2019 prohibits the admission of juveniles into facilities designated for adults.
He emphasized that the Act also requires custodial centers to refuse additional inmates if they are already at full capacity.
Advertorial
Umar’s statement addressed the misleading reports circulating in some media outlets, which suggested that the minors were remanded in an adult custodial facility following their arraignment before Justice Obiora Egwuatu in connection with the August #EndBadGovernance protests.
“The said report has no iota of truth as the Service operates based on best correctional and global practices,” the statement read.
Advertorial
It further confirmed that none of the minors were admitted to adult facilities, reinforcing the NCoS’s commitment to upholding professionalism and human rights standards in line with the United Nations Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Juvenile Offenders.
The NCoS urged the public to disregard the inaccurate reports and reassured that the welfare of juvenile offenders remains a priority.
