Benin, Aug. 29, 2025 (NAN) Stakeholders in the justice sector have raised concerns over deepening gaps in the rehabilitation of children in Bayelsa, Delta and Edo.
The stakeholders warned that the existing systems for correction and reintegration remained weak and inadequate as such might have little or no effects on juvenile sent on corrections to such homes.
A national survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed a disturbing scenario of children and the structures in the remand homes across the states in focus.
The survey showed many facilities being poorly managed, or struggling to meet their fundamental objectives of rehabilitation and reintegration while in Bayelsa a juvenile home does not exist.
The findings from the three states show gaps ranging from absence of juvenile courts and remand homes, to dilapidated facilities, poor feeding, lack of skilled personnel, and inadequate follow-up on children after release from the homes.
For instance in Bayelsa, stakeholders lamented that the state was yet to establish a single functional juvenile remand home, in spite of growing cases involving young offenders.
Wisdom Fafi, member representing Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituency 2 in the Bayelsa House of Assembly, said he had sponsored a motion urging the Chief Judge to constitute a juvenile court and set up a remand home.
“I have called on the Chief Judge, Justice Ayimieye Abrakasa, to with matter of urgency constitute a juvenile court and remand home in Bayelsa State.
“Taking young people to go and mix with other criminals in the cell will not help those juveniles as they grow, because it may worsen their situation instead of correcting them,” Fafi said.
He described the move as “overdue for a state like Bayelsa,” stressing that correctional alternatives were necessary to protect children’s future.
Mr Frank Egebe, Principal State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice, blamed lack of political will for the delay.
“The truth is that young people misbehave a lot nowadays.
“They have to be corrected and reintegrated back into the society, but the reverse is the case here,” he said.
He admitted that the facility was long overdue, urging the government to act fast so as to help the future of the young people.
“The government has the capacity to do it, just that the politicians focused on the things that will benefit them first.
“If eventually established, it will help reshape young people in Bayelsa,” he told NAN.
In Delta, NAN’s findings revealed that the only children remand home in Sapele is functional but in dire condition.
Some parents and professionals described the facility as poorly managed, with children often leaving the centre more hardened than when they entered.
Mr Stanley Ofuafo, a parent, regretted how most of the children released from rehabilitation centre ended become hardened.
“Most of the children after release from the facility become more hardened, rather than turning a new leaf.
“Government and stakeholders should ensure constant follow-up in the rehabilitation process after release to help build their mental health,” he advised.
He argued that remand homes ought to be maneged in line with its fundamental objective of rehabilitation and renewing of the child’s mental, social and psychological well-being for all-round growth and development.
Ofuafo urged the government and relevant stakeholders to take responsibility in ensuring a constant follow up in the rehabilitation process.
This, he said, would help to build the mental health of children released from the centre.
A pyschologist, Mr Edwin Ujuhwere of Emerald Mother and Child Hospital, Ughelli, noted that while remand homes were critical for rehabilitation, poor funding and lack of professional manpower had crippled their impact.
“If you go to any remand home across the country, you will be disappointed by what you will see.
“The feeding of these children is nothing to write home about, as many of them are malnourished,” Ujuhwere said.
He pointed out that the idea of children remand homes was not just to punish wayward children, but to also rehabilitate and redirect such children morally and socially.
“When a child is infested with the ills of the society, it is proper that such child is corrected so that he can be meaningful to himself and the society at large.
“Many a time, convicted children are also sent to remand homes to keep them away from doing more evil and infesting other children with their bad behaviour.
“You will agree with me that remand homes are very important because if such children are not checked, he or she will grow hardened in crime and become a monster to society,” he said.
NAN gathered that majority of the workers in the remand home were not trained professionals in issues of child’s mental and psychological behaviour for the purpose of rehabilitation.
However, Mr Odafe Isharo, the Public Relations Officer of the Delta Ministry of Justice, noted that the state government was in tune with effective day to day running of the remand home in Sapele.
He stated that aside from the responsibility of the daily running of the facility, the government equally had skills acquisition programmes for the children at the remand home.
According to him, education of the children at the Sapele remand home is a top priority and this is taken seriously to ensure that every child in the facility goes to school.
He stated also that maximum health care was provided for the children in the remand hone.
Corroborating the stance, Mrs Kevwe Agas, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development, said the remand home is very conducive.
“The remand home in Sapele is in a very conducive environment.
“In terms of management, we are doing our best even in the midst of challenges. The major area we really need assistance is in funding because we have challenges in the area of mobility,” she said.
In Edo, the government said the Ugbekun Remand Home, the only one in the state, was operational and recently renovated to improve living conditions of the juvenile.
Chief Olabisi Idaomi, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development told NAN that plans were underway to revive skills acquisition and education programmes that were disrupted during the EndSARS protests.
“The Ugbekun Remand Home is fully operational and provides care and support to children in need.
“Efforts are also being made to follow up on the children after release, although locating some of them can be challenging,” she said.
But parents and psychologists in Benin City expressed mixed feelings about the facility.
MrsnRita Omorodion, mother of a boy once admitted at Ugbekun, said her son left the home “quiet and disciplined” but without any tangible skills.
“They take care of the children, but what happens when they leave?
“My son came back home with no skills and no follow-up. If they had proper training and mentorship, many would not return to the streets,” she said.
Dr Matthew Eghosa, a clinical psychologist in Benin, said remand homes must go beyond food and shelter.
“Children who pass through these centres need therapy, education, and vocational training.
“Without these, the cycle of delinquency continues. If properly managed, remand homes can be the lifeline that saves a child from crime,” he said. (NAN)
