By Yakubu Salisu, Kano
All arrangements are in top gears to pass into law before 2022 ending, the long awaited Child Protection Law, Kano State Government assures.
This was made known by the Director, Citizen Rights Department Kano State Ministry of Justice, Muhammad Musa Sulaiman at a dialogue meeting organized by National Orientation Agency in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF to commemorate the 2022 Children’s Day in in the state.
According to him, the delay in the passage of the act was as a result of necessary amendments been perfected on the document before it is domesticated. However, that the act is presently before the state house of assembly for finishing touches.
He stressed that the matter is of significant concern to the state government and can be seen in different measures the present administration of Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje has been taking to protect the rights of children in the state by introducing policies such as free and compulsory education and the enactment of law banning street begging etc.
Sulaiman also revealed that the state government is perfecting plans to establish three additional juvenile courts in the state to accommodate the influx of minor crime and stop the needless trial of children at the regular courts as a way of protecting them from exposure to hardened criminals.
He further kicked against the tradition of remanding underage children at the correctional centres instead of the remand homes.
In a swift reaction, the spokesperson of the Kano State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, DSC Musbahu Kofar-Naisa debunked the allegation insisting that the service don’t admit underage in their correctional facilities.
Kofar-Naisa explained that the service has a Borstar training institutions where underage persons were been admitted.
However, in his remarks, the UNICEF Communication Specialist, Samuel Kaalu explained that the dialogue was organized to sensitize security personnel and media practitioners on the best practices in handling issues relating to children without exposing the children to unnecessary injuries in the society.