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The Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, has debunked tabloid newspaper reports that claimed that 26,000 children are being held in custodial centres across Nigeria.
The Eastern Updates recalls a report published on June 2, 2025, by a national tabloid that alleged that 26,000 children are being held in custodial centres across Nigeria.
Reacting to the publication on Wednesday, NCoS National Public Relations Officer Abubakar Umar described the publications as false and baseless, adding that in line with national and international legal standards, NCoS does not admit children into custodial centres.
“The Service categorically refutes this baseless and unfounded report and views it as a gross misrepresentation of facts capable of misleading the public and undermining the credibility of the Service,” he said.
According to the law establishing Nigeria Correctional Services and the Child Rights Act, 2003, any individual identified as a child (below the age of 18) is handled under a separate juvenile justice system.
As part of an ongoing campaign to address prison congestion, the Nigerian government has granted amnesty to over 1,450 inmates across various correctional facilities nationwide from January to September 2024. This initiative aims to reduce the country’s prison population and improve living conditions.
Building on its commitment to alleviate prison overcrowding, the Federal Government initiated a large-scale release of inmates in November 2023. A total of 4,068 individuals, primarily those detained due to unpaid fines, regained their freedom thanks to N585 million in funding from corporate bodies’ social responsibility programs.
Throughout the first nine months of 2024, state governors and Chief Judges have been instrumental in facilitating the release of numerous inmates.
On New Year’s Day, the governors of Benue, Nasarawa, Gombe, and Taraba states made headlines by granting freedom to 96 individuals On March 19, a groundbreaking initiative by the Headford Foundation, a non-governmental organization, led to the liberation of 628 inmates who were wrongly held in various correctional facilities across Lagos, Ekiti, Delta, Ogun, and Rivers states.
