FG vows to end prison congestion, targets awaiting trial inmates

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA – The Federal Government has declared a decisive propulsion to slash the fig of inmates languishing successful custody without trial, describing the concern arsenic a glaring injustice and a large operator of situation congestion nationwide.

Interior Minister, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the vow connected Wednesday during a astonishment inspection of the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre successful Abuja.

He lamented that awaiting proceedings inmates outnumber convicted persons by astir 4 to one.

“In this facility, implicit 200 inmates are convicted, portion much than 804 are inactive awaiting trial. Some of them person spent longer successful custody than the sentences they would person served if convicted. This cannot continue,” the curate declared.

He said the government, moving with the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation AGF and the Nigerian Bar Association NBA, was acceptable to dismantle bottlenecks that hold justice. L

“In the coming weeks, Nigerians volition spot a drastic simplification successful the fig of awaiting proceedings inmates. This is simply a promise,” Tunji-Ojo said.

NBA President, Afam Osigwe, who joined the inspection, confirmed that the relation was already reviewing information of inmates to place cases wherever detention had exceeded imaginable jailhouse terms.

“We are prepared to measurement successful legally to unafraid the merchandise of those unjustly kept successful custody,” helium said.

The curate besides enactment the spotlight connected inmate rehabilitation, praising prisoners who person embraced vocational and world training.

Touring workshops and classrooms, including those tally by the National Open University of Nigeria NOUN, helium said the effort showed custodial centres could nutrient transformed, skilled citizens alternatively than hardened criminals.

“You are not condemned people; you are earthy materials being refined into utile products for society. When you permission here, you should beryllium empowered to unrecorded self-reliant, sustainable lives”, helium told the inmates.

Currently, 78 inmates are enrolled successful a two-week method grooming conducted by the Nigerian Institute of Building NIoB and Chemical and Allied Products Plc CAP, exceeding the 50 primitively planned owed to overwhelming interest. Trainees volition person National Skills Qualification NSQ certification aft assessment.

Tunji-Ojo said specified programmes proved the correctional strategy could unrecorded up to its name, but insisted that meaningful rehabilitation could lone hap erstwhile overcrowding and delays successful justness were tackled head-on.

“We are not paying articulator service. Decongesting our prisons and restoring justness to those unjustly detained is simply a nationalist priority,” helium affirmed.

The station FG vows to extremity situation congestion, targets awaiting proceedings inmates appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.