Thousands of children in Nigeria between the ages of 7-17 years have been imprisoned unjustly. These children have been arrested for petty crimes such as hawking and begging on the roadside. Some children have been abandoned in those prison cells for more than 3 years due to a lack of access to legal help and the poor justice system that exists.

Conditions within the prison cells are not conducive for adults and even worse for young children. The prison cells lack potable water, toilets and other basic amenities. Children are crammed into cells and forced to sleep in one position all night long like slaves. They do not have access to medical care, mental health care, education or good food.

Children in prison endure harsh conditions that they do not deserve to be in. Some children have been born in prison and kept with their mothers. These children are also in the same prison cells as adults who sexually and mentally abuse them.

As teenagers in Nigeria, we cannot stand to see the injustice and maltreatment of our peers.There is no protection and respect for the rights of children and there needs to be a reform of the juvenile system in Nigeria. We demand for suitable juvenile centres to be built, lawyers to be provided for the children and proper rehabilitation of these children back into society.

This project is the work of the Project Mahhala team of Forever Gratis Foundation, in collaboration with Imaginact, an African youth led initiative. To learn more about the issue, read Imaginact's article on child imprisonment here: https://vocalafrica.com/nigeria-has-a-child-prisoners-problem-heres-everything-you-should-know/