From Adetutu Folashade, Ismail Omipidan, and Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
As part of moves to reduce the high number of minor offenders and alleviate congestion of inmates in correctional centres across the country, the Federal Government has released over 4,082 inmates to save the nation more than N1 billion annually.
Minister of Interior Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who disclosed this during the annual Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja, also revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved an increase in the feeding allowances of inmates.
Besides, he said, Tinubu has equally approved the relocation of 29 correctional centres that are within residential areas due to urban development.
According to him, a correctional centre should be located 100 metres away from residential buildings.
For instance, the correctional centre in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, is located opposite the Government House, while Suleja Prison is now within the community.
Tunji-Ojo noted that over 3,000 buildings in more than 240 correctional centres are being renovated. Some of these centres were built over 50 years ago, while one of them was constructed in 1914.
“If we know where we were, we will appreciate where we are,” he said.
The minister said that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has recorded two jailbreaks and no jail attacks.
A jailbreak, he explained, is organised by the inmates, while a jail attack is orchestrated from outside the prison.
He, however, noted that the ministry had put in place a proactive policing system, which made it possible for the inmates in Suleja Prison who escaped after a heavy flood felled their fence to be rearrested within 48 hours.
Tunji-Ojo also noted that in one year, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the promotion of 52,000 paramilitary officers, and the ministry has started another promotion examination for 2025.
The minister said that the ministry, through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), established a Mining Marshal to sanitise the mining industry, where a lot of revenue is being lost illegally.
Consequently, over 2,125 illegal mining sites have been destroyed, and the NSCDC has trained over 10,000 Agro Rangers for the agriculture sector.
Agro Rangers are a specialised unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) tasked with protecting agricultural investments, resolving conflicts between farmers and herders, and ensuring the security of agricultural communities.
The Agro Rangers unit aims to safeguard farmlands, protect farmers from attacks, mediate conflicts between farmers and herders, and prevent the malicious destruction of farmlands.
The initiative is a partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
On internal security, the minister alluded to the fact that what the administration inherited was a situation where internal security was manned by the military, whereas it is the paramilitaries’ function.
This was possible because the paramilitary was not well equipped and trained. The Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration approved that the paramilitary officers are trained and equipped to function properly.