Prison decongestion: States get approval to establish custodial facilities
Govt spends N297k per prisoner annually
By Ukpono Ukpong
In its effort to ensure decongestion of Correctional Facilities, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has said that the amended Act on Correctional Service has given approval to state governments to establish their correctional facilities in their respective states.
The Minister stated this during a high-level conference on Decongestion and Correction Administration organised by the Ministry of Interior at Intercontinental Hotel, Abuja. He reiterated that the amendment of the act was premised on the need to drive a reform of the country’s custodial facilities anchored on reformation and development of inmates.
He encouraged state governments through their States Attorney General and Commissioners of Justice and Chief Judges of the states present at the event to establish their custodial facilities as assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Aregbesola drew attention to the gloomy picture of the present conditions of the country’s custodial facilities, which he confessed is not delivering the needed rehabilitation and reformations needed for inmates.
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He assured that the reforms would help to decongest the country’s custodial facilities and bring in efficient, effective and sustainable solutions for viable and achievable results which would be susceptible to descency in the lives of inmates after serving their terms as it will contribute to the development of his community and the country at large.
Aregbesola decried the level of congestion at the facilities which he alluded were largely state offenders, who found themselves on cases of inability to settle their debts and fines ranging between five thousand and above, or refusal to observed sanitation laws, with high cost to the expenditure of the Ministry in feeding and other essentials needs for the inmates.
He further expressed displeasure on the continuing rising in the number of awaiting inmates on trial in the custodial facilities which he alluded that some of them have stayed more than double period they ought to have served if convicted.
In his goodwill message the Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, commended the bold step taken by federal government to initiate the reforms through current Minister of Interior Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola which he described as first of its kind and timely by the management of Ministry of Interior
Adding that the situation at hand in the administration of Justice in the country is “perilous, as its threaten our national security because we all live in denial of the current situation of the rots in the administration of Justice in Nigeria
Justice Ariwoola called on the National Assembly to preoccupy themselves in making people’s centric laws with patriotism and fear of God that would reflect the current reality globally.
The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Interior Dr. Shuaib Belgore in his welcome address said that the essence of the conference is to propose efficient, effective and sustainable solutions to tackle the decongestion of the Custodian Centres whilst aiming at viable and achievable results which are action driven.
He added that the gathering also seeks to promote effective implementation of non- custodial measures, strategies to reform, rehabilitate and reintegrate inmates into the society.
Belgore recommended that all possibilities should be considered to address the problems of decongestion for better administration of criminal justice and that monthly visitation and inspection of custodial centres by the judiciary is a necessity for full implementation of non- custodial measures.
Some states Chief Judges, Attorney Generals, and Commissioners of Justice that graced the occasion also added their voices in commending the Ministry for the reform and pledged to be part of the success story.
Daily Times checks showed that FG currently spends about N22.4bn on the about 75,000 prisoners across the country, putting the average annual expenditure on an inmate at N273,000.
