Prisoners: After Spending N22bn, FG Calls On States To Feed  Inmates

The Minister of the Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has called on the 36 state governments in the country to build their own Correctional Facility for inmates from the states.

In the past, prison service was under the control of the federal government, it’s no longer so, Aregbesola said adding that the law has been amended to give state government powers to build their own Correctional  Centres.

The federal government said recently that it spent over N22 billion feeding prisoners across the country last year.

This has become a big burden on the federal government the minister said calling on subnational government which cannot build prisons to collaborate  with the  government to defray the cost of taking care of inmates

The minister spoke on Thursday at a two-day conference on Decongestion and Corrections Administration in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

He said the constitution has been amended to allow states “to build correctional centres and facilities to house offenders, who are convicted and sentenced for committing state offences.

“Where states are unable to build custodial centres, it is believed that they can suggest ways to collaborate with the Federal Government in feeding and housing these state offenders.

“Overcrowding in the custodial centres has led to a huge revenue drain for the Federal Government, being the only party shouldering the responsibility of running and maintaining the custodial centres. The Federal Government can’t bear this anymore. I am going to leave strict recomnendations to my successor on that law. We would rather use the money meant for feeding inmates to improve our facilities. “

On his part, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, said the congestion of custodial centres was responsible for jailbreaks.

He said, “Unnecessary congestion of prisons has led to jailbreaks and of course, overstretching the dilapidated custodial centres built 100 years ago.

“In order to enthrone a seamless dispensation of justice, the issue of congestion and reform has always occupied the front burner of discussion since the advent of this democratic dispensation and we have been waiting with bated breath to see the reform truly happen in our lifetime.”