Following the rise in broken homes and failed relationships with children involved, Stakeholders have called for legal settlement for the custody to reduce spate of child abduction.
Speaking during a seminar organised on Wednesday by Comparative law and law reform cluster of Faculty of Law, North-Eastern University Gombe, members, Dr Umar Alkali, Dean Faculty of Law said children from such parents are at risk of unsecured future.
PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that Alkali made this disclosure during his presentation on ‘Parental child abduction from the lenses of Nigerian laws’, describing forceful ownership of the child without the other parent’s acceptance or court pronouncement as a crime.
Alkali said, “It’s a fact that this offence is committed in all parts of the country people you don’t expect, people that are enlightened, people in remote villages are into it. We looked at the punishment of the offence as it relates to children because of the nature of the offence people will want to go low in doing it which makes the child more vulnerable.”
Speaking further the Dean added, “The Nigerian laws didn’t specify on parental child abduction. If you have not been given lawful custody of the child you don’t have the right, you lack the right to take the child even if he or she is your child by force. It’s our message and it’s on both sides. It’s not all the time that the fathers are culpable, even the mother. Parents usually feel they can’t abduct their children, often the issue comes up after separation, when marriage is dissolved. The child is one and has to stay with one of the parents whosoever gets the custody is the lawful person to be in custody of the child whosoever didn’t get the right and takes the child by force without following due process has abducted his child.”
He called on stakeholders to intensify sensitisation on the subject matter saying “There is need for public enlightenment for parents to understand that it has far-reaching consequences on their children it affects their children’s education, well-being and their future.”
In an interview, Pro Chancellor of NEU, Dr Sani Jauro said the seminar was part of the institution’s way of contributing to community development.
Jauro added, “This university when it was conceived one of the visions is to solve problems by delivering the tripartite mandate of universities. Our academics will publish and not perish, our students will develop the confidence so that whether as Lawyers you will find them exceptionally good, independent thinkers, problem solvers of the Nigerian society.”
In her address during the seminar, Chief Judge of Gombe State, Justice Halima Mohammed, urged both parents to act in the Interest of the child, “it should be considered. It is believed that the interest of the child is better placed with the mother. The father can pay maintenance.”
Decrying the absence of strengthened systems, Mohammed added, “The laws are there institutions are there but they have not been strengthened to protect the laws. Individual states have right to make laws to suit their needs.”
