Absence of Requisite Institutions: The Bane of Child Justice Administration in Kogi State-Nigeria

Abstract

There is no doubt that there are available numerous laws for the protection, promotion and enforcement of the right of the child in Kogi State, Nigeria as provided under various laws, especially the Child Rights Law (CRL) Kogi State. However, the adequacy or otherwise of the available laws may be a different issue for consideration, this article utilizes the doctrinal method of research, to interrogate the existence and the availability or otherwise of functional institutions and mechanisms put in place by the various laws for the protection of the rights of the child to enhance effective enforcement of child’s rights in Kogi State. This research discovered that although there is an established Kogi State Family Court, it is found that the court has not properly taken off as a full division of the court system in the administration of justice mechanism; there inadequate personnel and physical structures required to be put in place to ensure the day-to-day administration of the court, the existence of Family Court system is yet unpopular in Kogi State. This research equally discovered that the Specialized Children Police Unit of the Nigerian Police Force designed to take up the responsibility of Child Justice Administration whenever the child run-counter to criminal law, is yet to be in operation. Importantly too, the various Correctional Homes provided by the Child Rights Law (CRL) for the rehabilitation, training and education of the child at different levels of the child’s delinquency and negative behaviours provided under the CRL are yet to be established in Kogi State too in order to ensure the enforcement of the rights of the child. This research recommends the immediate establishment of various Correctional Homes and the Specialized Children Police Unit of the Nigerian Police Force provided for by the Child Rights Law (CRL), it is also recommended that the frontiers of the operation of the Family Court should be extended to make its establishment worth while.