I watch a lot of movies not Nigerian movies though and I see where minors are tried in courts for crimes they commit. Nigerian movies is basically about love, romance and the rest so I don't know about minors committing crimes and being tried for it. I am going to give my opinion based on the movies I've watched so far.
In my opinion, I understand why some people support it, especially when a young person commits a very serious crime. However, I also believe we must remember that they are still children. Their age, understanding, home background, and ability to make good decisions should be considered before deciding how they should be punished.
Children and teenagers can make terrible decisions. Sometimes they do things because of peer pressure, anger, poverty, bad friends, or the kind of environment they grow up in. Some children also grow up without proper care and guidance. This does not mean that they should be allowed to hurt people without consequences. A person who has been robbed, attacked, or lost a loved one because of a young person's actions may not easily accept the excuse that the person is still a child.
I remember hearing stories of young people joining groups that commit crimes because they want to belong. Some of them start by following older people and later become involved in serious crimes. At first, they may not fully understand the consequences of what they are doing. By the time they realise how serious it is, someone may already have been badly hurt or even killed. This is very painful because one wrong decision can destroy many lives.
At the same time, I do not think putting every young offender in an adult prison is the best answer. Adult prisons can expose young people to even worse behaviour. A teenager who enters prison for one mistake may come out knowing more about crime and surrounded by people who have committed serious offences. Instead of changing, the child may become harder and more dangerous.
A young person who commits a crime should face consequences, but the punishment should also give the person a chance to change. They should be given counselling, education, discipline, and skills that can help them become better people. If a young person is truly dangerous, society must also be protected. But protecting society does not always mean treating the child exactly like an adult.
Being young should not become an excuse for committing serious crimes. If children learn that they can do anything because they are underage, some may become even more careless. Victims also deserve justice. Imagine a family losing their child to violence and then being told that the person responsible should face little or no punishment because he or she is young. That can leave the family feeling forgotten.
I believe the best approach is to look at each case carefully. The age of the child should matter, but so should the seriousness of the crime, the person's understanding of what they did, their background, and whether they are willing to change.
Children need correction, not just punishment. They need people to guide them before their mistakes become their whole lives. At the same time, society needs protection, and victims deserve justice. The goal should not only be to punish a young offender but to prevent that child from becoming an adult criminal. If we can correct a child today, we may save many lives tomorrow.
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