NHRC HAS CONDEMNED THE PRESENCE OF 7-YEAR-OLD BABIES IN NIGERIAN PRISONS

The National Human Rights Commis­sion (NHRC) yes­terday disclosed that it has uncovered the presence of several nursing moth­ers in detention facilities across the country. The Executive Secre­tary of the commission, Prof Bem Angwe, said mothers with seven-day-old babies were seen in most prison centres in the course of its annual pris­on audit recently.
Angwe gave the revela­tion yesterday at the com­mission’s headquarters in Abuja while receiving the executive members of the National Council of Women Societies led by its President, Mrs Gloria Shoda. He lamented that a situation of nursing mothers being held in in­carceration had become more worrisome owing to the fact that innocent children are equally being subjected to the inhuman prison conditions in the country and its negative impacts on the children.

 “In our prisons today, we have a lot of women with their innocent chil­dren in our prison cells. Of particular note is the recent discovery of nurs­ing mothers of seven-day-old in our prisons. And we also have instanc­es where women who are carrying children in pris­on are also pregnant. “We want the coun­cil of women societies to work with NHRC to provide an immediate intervention in this re­gard. It is also sad to note that over 90 per cent of these nursing mothers in our various prisons are on awaiting trial. “They are women that could have been taken on bail while awaiting their trial but they are kept there with their children. The children are made to serve prison terms while their moth­ers are not yet convicted.