Abuja votes N22.44b to feed 75,507 inmates, 70% of them awaiting trial
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Abuja has budgeted N22.44 billion to feed 75,507 prison inmates in 2023, among them those awaiting trial, convicts, and those on death row in 244 custodial centres countrywide.
The figures were released in Abuja by Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary, Shuaib Belgore, at a conference on corrections and decongestion of custodial centres.
He disclosed awaiting trial inmates account for 70 per cent, a high number he attributed to arbitrary arrests, delay in dispensing justice, and inability to meet bail conditions.
There is congestion in 82 of the custodial centres, Belgore added.
Said he: “The total number of male inmates are 73,821 and 1,686 are female inmates. Out of the 75,507 inmates, 52,436 are awaiting trial while 23,071 are convicted persons, with 3,322 as condemned inmates on death row.
“The federal government budgeted N22.44 billion in the 2023 appropriation to cater for the feeding of inmates. Failure to take action to decongest the custodial centres will come at a cost.
“The effects of overcrowding in the custodial centres have led to huge revenue drain for the federal government.
“Dilapidation of the centres, criminalisation of society and the inability to separate awaiting trial inmates from convicted persons.”
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Correctional system reform
Belgore sought a holistic reform of the correctional system, including modernisation of custodial centres for appropriate reformation and rehabilitation of inmates, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), per reporting by Vanguard.
He noted that stakeholders have since emphasised the need to build new facilities and redesign the bail system.
“I am of the view that the discourse at this conference should allocate more time to address speedy dispensation of justice to reduce the number of inmates on awaiting trial.
“In as much as the Ministry of Interior works tirelessly to accomplish the goal of achieving greater reduction of the number of inmates across our custodial centres, we are determined to ensure that the correctional facilities provide not just a decent accommodation.
“We also ensure that inmates acquire skills and knowledge to advance their integration into the society when they eventually regain freedom.”
Belgore urged the conference to propose efficient, effective, and sustainable solutions to tackle congestion of custodial centres as well as effective implementation of non-custodial measures.
He also canvassed for strategies to promote effective reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of inmates.
He said the role of the federal and state governments in the correction of inmates should also be examined by the conference.
“The statistics ratio of federal and state offenders is mind boggling and worrisome.
“The federal offenders in the correctional facilities are far less than 10 per cent, leaving the majority of over 90 per cent to state offences,” he disclosed.
Belgore advocated that improved implementation of the criminal justice system and adoption of non-custodial measures would help in the decongestion of custodial centres across the country.