- Minimum Age Variations: The minimum age of criminal responsibility varies across countries, ranging from 10 to 18 years old .
- International Standards: UNICEF recommends that the minimum age be increased to over 14 years old to ensure protection for children and adolescents in conflict with the law .
- Country-Specific Laws:
- In Germany, the age of criminal responsibility depends on mental development and age, with children under 14 not held responsible .
- In Australia, the statutory minimum age is 10 years, with a rebuttable presumption of incapacity for children between 10 and 14 years old .
- Global Median Age: The median age of criminal responsibility worldwide is 12 years old .
- Developmental Considerations: The age of criminal responsibility considers children’s physical, mental, and intellectual maturity to be held responsible for their actions .
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.
’Those that are not criminally liable under the law, those are the ones that are below the age of seven. Once you 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.
