The Former Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Profess Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, OON, SAN, has condemned in very strong terms, the detention and arraignment of Minors at the FCT High Court in Abuja last week.
The former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking, Children's Rights and Human Rights, stated in a media statement that "The rights of children must be respected and upheld. Children who are in conflict with the law, should be redirected away from the formal judicial process. Recent events have significantly undermined our justice system, representing a clear violation of State, national, regional, and international legal frameworks concerning children's rights and the justice system".
"Children who are alleged to have committed crimes, must be kept separate from adults in detention facilities. Their privacy and identities should be protected. Detention and trial should only be used as a last resort, and if necessary, a Juvenile Court or Juvenile Judge should handle such proceedings.
"The administration of criminal or the juvenile justice system, must ensure a treatment that promotes their sense of dignity and worth, considers their age, and aims at their reintegration into society to assume a constructive role.
"This ugly phenomenon of starving children facing charges of mutiny and treasonable felonies, must stop. It shames us as a nation. We demand accountability now, for those who failed to respect extant laws. A Prosecutor should know better and always do the right thing, in the temple of justice."
