Bayelsa Assembly resolves to end detention of juveniles in Police adult cells
Juveniles
By Christian Ogbonna
Yenagoa, June 1, 2018 (NAN) The Bayelsa House of Assembly on Friday in Yenagoa passed a resolution to bar the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the state from detaining child suspects in adult cells.
In a motion co-sponsored by the member representing Kolokumo/Opokuma constituency, Mr Emmanuel Tonye, and member representing Southern Ijaw 111, Mr Daniel Igali, the lawmakers decried the act of detaining children with adults.
The lawmakers urged the state Ministry of Gender and Social Development, local government authorities and other government agencies and departments, to take steps to establish functional remand or correction homes for juveniles in the state.
According to them, detaining juveniles in adult cells occupied by hardened criminals instead of reforming them would make the child become a professional criminal.
“The rising issue of arrest and detention of child suspects with adult offenders and subjecting them to severe torture and starvation, make them hardened criminals,’’ the lawmakers said.
They said that such acts amount to child rights abuse and further increase the rate of crime in the society.
The lawmakers expressed hope that establishing remand homes for juveniles would help reform child suspects and make them useful citizens to the society. (NAN)
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Edited by Ify Omowole