The reported flogging and torture of street children in Calabar, Cross River State, under the guise of sanitizing the streets, is utterly condemnable. This reprehensible act represents a profoundly inappropriate method of addressing the issue of street children, a complex problem that demands a holistic approach encompassing failed parenting, lack of opportunities, and government failure.
On March 19, 2026, officials of the Calabar Urban Development Authority reportedly subjected street children to flogging and torture. This disturbing episode reveals a fundamental dishonesty about the reasons children end up on the streets. It reflects a government that has failed in its duty of accountability. With no viable programs for child protection, education, rehabilitation, or long-term social planning, it resorts to brute force against vulnerable youngsters. The children were reportedly seen "tied, lying on the ground and crying, while the officials flogged them with machetes." Civil society groups that intervened to secure their release were allegedly assaulted. Such arrests amount to barbarism.
In societies that uphold decency and sanity, law enforcement officers do not make arrests without due process. They do not mete out corporal punishment, degrading treatment, or prefer violence over humane and rational policies. No child emerges from the womb desiring to end up on the streets of Lagos, Kano, or Calabar. They are driven there by poverty and broken homes. Treating them as offenders rather than as children in need of help only exacerbates the problem. Childhood poverty is not a crime. A society that thinks otherwise risks discarding its future and transforming a manageable problem into a cycle of exclusion and resentment.
Section 17(1)(b) of the Constitution affirms the sanctity of human dignity and requires policies that ensure every citizen is treated with respect. The Child Rights Act, adopted in many states including Cross River in 2009, prohibits violence against children and outlines how a child in conflict with the law or in need of care must be handled, with welfare and due process at the forefront. Flogging children with machetes, tying them to the ground, or subjecting them to degrading treatment is an abuse of power and a breach of the state's duty.
Children arrive on the streets after years of exposure to societal dysfunction. When government agencies mobilize task forces to "clear" streets, they chase symptoms and ignore the root causes. The state should first seek answers to the hard questions: why were those children on the streets, decades after successive administrations have budgeted billions of naira in yearly appropriations? Why were they not in classrooms or with their parents at home? Relevant authorities should have engaged in intelligent debate on sustainable solutions rather than displaying sheer brute force.
The condemnation by the wife of the state governor and the expression of commitment to pursue justice are commendable. However, the seriousness of the allegation demands more than dismay expressed in the media. Legal instruments must be wielded to stop such impunity. Civil remedies should be explored, including actions against relevant authorities or personnel for breach of fundamental rights and child abuse. A proper, independent investigation should establish the facts, name the culpable officials, and lead to diligent prosecution.
Yet, accountability alone will suffice only for the aftermath. A lasting response to this contradiction is the replacement of force with a system that demonstrates humanity. Steps should be taken to return street children to the embrace of a caring society through provision of basic education, vocational training, and reintegration with their families where possible. Where families cannot or will not take them, the state must explore community-based alternatives. Parents and guardians bear the primary duty of care, but parental responsibility cannot substitute for state duty. There must be synergy on both sides. Where poverty, displacement, or other barriers weaken a family's capacity, the state must step in with support, not punishment. A balanced framework recognizes that families need help to fulfill their role, and any move against neglect must come with access to services that make doing the right thing possible.
It is a fact that Nigeria's population has grown without a corresponding expansion in schools, healthcare, housing, and jobs. This has strained public services and narrowed opportunities. Most states across the federation still struggle with overcrowded classrooms, insufficient teachers, and poor social services. Under such circumstances, vulnerable children become the first victims. The nation needs a credible population policy that promotes informed family planning and aligns demographic trends with resource availability. Religious organizations and non-governmental agencies have much more work to do in breaking the shackles of long-held traditions and customs that are out of sync with contemporary socioeconomic realities. Family planning is neither a sin nor a taboo; it is the definition of responsibility.
Across the world, especially in the West, countries have demonstrated what is possible when child welfare is prioritized. Almost every child has access to basic education and primary healthcare. At-risk families can avail themselves of social programs before things fall apart. The result is a system that stops hardship before it becomes full-fledged abandonment. Where a state invests early, there is less likelihood that its law enforcers will storm the streets brutalizing children in a so-called clean-up operation. Ministries handling education, women's affairs, and social welfare should conduct a statewide audit of out-of-school and street children, set up referral routes from the streets to services, and deploy outreach teams trained in child protection. States should also make budgets with specific targets for enrollment, retention, and reintegration.
Every Nigerian child has a right to dignity, protection, and the chance to grow into a productive adult. When the state fails to provide that and then turns its violence on the very children it has failed, it adds cruelty to injustice. The Calabar incident should mark a turning point in the nation's attitude towards childcare and reaffirm the worth of every child.
