The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has called on the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to deepen early legal intervention and strengthen institutional mechanisms to guarantee justice and protection for children in conflict with the law.
Speaking at an engagement with legal stakeholders , the Minister said Nigeria must urgently reform its child justice system to align with global best practices and the realities of 2026.
She urged the NBA to lead strategic litigation aimed at clarifying unresolved legal issues affecting children, including minority status, detention of minors in adult facilities, and the right to fair hearing.
“We cannot continue to treat children within the same framework as adults. The law must proactively protect them before they get entangled in the justice system,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim said.
The Minister also proposed the establishment of mobile Family and Children’s Courts in underserved communities to bridge the justice gap and ensure that children have timely access to legal representation and child-friendly adjudication.
According to her, many children in rural and low-income areas lack access to courts and legal aid, leaving them vulnerable to prolonged detention and miscarriage of justice.
In a strong statement, Sulaiman-Ibrahim called for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised from the current seven years, describing the threshold as “indefensible in 2026.”
“It is indefensible in 2026 for a 7-year-old child to be held criminally responsible in the same manner as an adult. We must review our laws to reflect science, psychology, and our commitment to child rights,” she stated.
The Minister noted that early intervention, diversion programmes, and rehabilitation rather than punishment should form the bedrock of Nigeria’s approach to juvenile justice.
She charged the NBA to use its influence to drive legislative amendments, provide pro bono services for children, and monitor compliance with the Child Rights Act across states.
The Minister further advocated substantive Family Courts, a presumption of minority where age was uncertain, and stronger training for lawyers, prosecutors and police prosecutors on diversion, trauma-informed child interviewing and restorative justice.
She proposed a formal Child Justice Compact between the Ministry and NBA, supported by a joint technical committee, quarterly reporting and measurable indicators covering legal representation, diversion and functional Family Court sittings.
“Only the Bar can put a lawyer beside a child in a police station tonight,” she said.
She assured the NBA that the Ministry would provide policy architecture, data and welfare infrastructure to support the proposed partnership across Nigeria.
“Those are limits we can pass, and we can begin this week,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim added.