In Nigeria, the age of criminal responsibility is defined by law. According to Section 30 of the Criminal Code Act, children under the age of seven are not criminally responsible for any act or omission.
The spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, says that persons below the age of seven are the ones that cannot be charged to court.
According to him, anyone who is above seven years of age can be charged to court if found wanting.
He stated this in an interview with Channels TV while reacting to the public outcry for the arraignment of 67 minors in a court in Abuja for alleged treason and destruction of public property during the End Bad Governance protest.
Speaking during the interview, Adejobi said;
‘’Those that are not criminally liable under the law, those are the ones that are below the age of seven. Once yiu are more than seven, you can be charged to court, The only thing is that you have to follow certain procedures to do that. None of them is less than seven. I think the youngest should be 13. The fact that you are a 13 year old doesn’t mean you cannot be charged to court. In the Children and Young Persons act, we can still charge you to court.
We have charged them to court for this on behalf of the Federal government of Nigeria. The police has taken the bull by the horn
