Fred Itua, Abuja
Senator Andy Uba has explained how the Nigerian Correctional Service Bill, 2019, signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, will put an end to several years of legal and structural defects in the administration of Nigeria’s prisons.
According to the senator, the challenges of the country’s correctional institutions have had an enormous impact on the entire justice system.
Uba, who chaired the Senate Committee on Interior in the Eight National Assembly, and also sponsored the prison reform bill, said the new law will address challenges in prisons across the country.
Related: Nigeria Prisons Service now Nigerian Correctional Service
The Nigerian Correctional Service Bill, 2019, is a cocktail of four reform packages which were harmonised into one bill.
The former lawmaker representing Anambra South Senatorial District, in a statement opined that the assent to the bill was the right move by the President.
The statement reads:
“By the extant provisions of this new law, both custodial and non-custodial sentencing would be permissible; prisons will be decongested and it would generally foster a better administration of Criminal Justice in Nigeria. This development also brings Nigerian Prisons Administration System to par with international best practices.
“I am particularly enthused and delighted about President Mohammadu Buhari’s resolve to grant Assent to the Bill beacause of the quality of time devoted to the harmonisation of the bills by Researchers, Committee Staff and Legislators as well.”
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday signed into law the Nigerian Correctional Service Bill, 2019. With the assent, the name of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) is now The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS).
According to a statement from Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), the “Act repeals the Prisons Acts and changes the name from Nigeria Prisons Service to Nigerian Correctional Service, otherwise known as “the Correctional Service.”
According to the Act, there are two main faculties of the Correctional Service, namely Custodial Service and Non-custodial Service.