Follow Us on Google
From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
With over 256 correctional centres (prisons) nationwide housing over 81,000 inmates, and over 60, 000 on awaiting trial, Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) will have a lot of challenges on its lap.
Out of over 3, 845 inmates on death row nationwide, over 81 of them are females while 3,766 are males.
In Kuje facility in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), alone, there are about 994 inmates (in a facility designed for 800 inmates) and over 827 inmates are on awaiting trial.
The high congestion level (over 70 per cent) of the facilities has posed a significant challenge to the federal government to the extent that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu early last year, approved the relocation of 29 centres to improve the conditions of the inmates as well as address the infrastructural issues.
Some of these facilities were built in the colonial era and development has caught up with them. For instance, the Suleja Prison, which was built around 1914, was designed to hold not more than 250 inmates. But it is currently housing twice the number of inmates originally planned for it.
Due to old age and dilapidation, the fence was pulled down by flood and storm last year, leading to the escape of over 199 inmates.
Jailbreaks were also recorded in Kogi, Kuje and Keffi, thus pushing the federal government to undertake an audit of inmates across the 256 correctional centres.
Because of the increasing size of the awaiting trial inmates, Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, paid an unscheduled inspection visit to the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, Abuja, stating that the government was committed to freeing awaiting trial inmates.
He said that the ministry was working closely with the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to bridge the gap for conviction of inmates.
“We are working together, looking at inmates that perhaps have spent more time in awaiting trial than they would have suffered or spent if they were convicted.
“In this particular facility (Kuje), over 200 inmates are convicted while about 804 are awaiting trials. So, we have to design a methodology by being innovative,” he said
In addition, the authorities are recommending reformatory for minor offenders with a view to not only decongesting the prisons, but stopping them from having contacts with hardened criminals.
Sunday Sun gathered that there have been cases where some minor offenders have been corrupted by coming in contact with hardened criminals.
Meanwhile, over 1885 females across the country are cooling off in the facilities whereas over 81 of them have been condemned to death.
With long stay in the prison without execution, some of the inmates are now causing problems in the facilities, making spurious, unrealistic and unreachable demands.
Sunday Sun gathered that they are demanding double ration or they would cause crisis in the custodial centres.
This, according to an impeccable source, is posing a challenge to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
The source wondered why the state governors whose statutory responsibility is to sign their death warrants are not doing so, adding that the service may request that the chief judges assume that responsibility.
