OWERRI, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made a significant announcement on Friday, May 12, 2023, stating that the federal government would no longer fund the feeding of inmates at correctional centres across the nation.
This change is slated to begin on January 1, 2024.
The minister revealed this policy shift during the commissioning of the Nigeria Correctional Service’s new Imo State command headquarters in Avu, Owerri West council area.
A constitutional amendment recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari places the correctional centres under concurrent jurisdiction. Aregbesola emphasized that the change puts the onus on the state governors to work closely with the state controller general of correctional service to manage their inmate populations.
“As of January 1st next year, the federal government will not be responsible for feeding inmates because the burden is too much on us,” Aregbesola said. “The governors should liaise with the state controller general of correctional service and know how many of the inmates they have and how they can take care of them and feed them.”
The minister highlighted the pressing issue of congestion in the correctional centres, particularly in urban areas. He revealed plans to tackle this by constructing six mega custodial centres in the country’s six geopolitical zones.
“It is on record that more than 90 percent of inmates in our facilities are state offenders. It is important therefore that state governments begin to invest in corrections,” the minister added. He urged state governments to reform their criminal justice systems, pointing out that 70 percent of inmates are awaiting trial, causing overcrowding.
The minister also clarified misconceptions about the powers of the Nigeria Correctional Service, NCoS, and the Minister of Interior, stating, “They are brought to our facility through a valid court warrant and it is through the same process that they are released. Convicts can only be released through the president or state governor exercising the prerogative of mercy.”
During his address, Aregbesola also highlighted the correctional services’ successful educational programs, including post-graduate degrees, vocational training, and adult education programs.
Responding to the minister’s announcement, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, represented by Deputy Governor Placid Njoku, expressed gratitude for the renaming of prisons to correctional facilities. He promised to revise their budget in line with the new directive. “We will work with the controller to ensure that whatever they want is provided for them to work effectively,” he said.
