Reps Call For Decongestion of Correctional Centres Nationwide

 

 

The House of Representatives through its legislative intervention has called for immediate decongestion of Correctional Service Centres across the country.

The resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion co-sponsored by Hon. Chinedu Ogah and Hon. Ime Okon.

In his lead debate, Hon. Ogah observed that the Nigerian Correctional Service is an arm of the Criminal Justice System with a specific mandate to reform, rehabilitate and ensure effective reintegration of offenders back into society in line with universally accepted standards.

“The House is aware that the Nigeria Correctional Service is currently housing over 70,000 inmates, thus overcrowding the centres, which can accommodate only 50,000 inmates, thereby overstretching the dilapidated facilities.

“The House is concerned that only 27% of the inmates have been convicted while a whopping 73% are awaiting trial, most of the inmates in correctional centres across the country are serving time without having been convicted.

“The House is worried that the deplorable state of the centres puts the inmates at great risk to their health and safety, violates their fundamental right to humane treatment, dignity, and fair and speedy trial, and, most importantly, undermines the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes.

“The House is cognizant that improved implementation of the criminal justice system and adoption of non-custodial measures would help decongest national prisons,” he noted.

Worried by the development, the House tasked the Federal Ministry of Interior to rehabilitate and decongest Nigeria’s correctional centres, addressing both short-term and long-term challenges and make provisions for the project in the 2024 budget estimates.

The lawmakers also urged authorities of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Legal Aid Council to conduct independent assessments of correctional centres across the country to ensure compliance with global standards and human rights principles.

To this end, the House mandated the joint Committees on Interior, Human Rights and Justice to ensure compliance.

According to World Prison Brief (WPB) monitored by Sunday Tribune as at 25th September, 2023, the total of Nigeria’s prison population (including pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners) stands at 81,742.

The country’s Prison population rate stands at 37 per 100,000 of an estimated national population of 223.54 million at the end of September 2023.

The report on pre-trial detainees/remand prisoners stands at 68.8 percent of prison population as at 25th September, 2023.

Female prisoners were put at 2.3 percent of the prison population as at 25th September, 2023.

The Juveniles/ minors/young prisoners including definition put at 1.7 percent of prison population as at 30th June, 2014, while Foreign prisoners were estimated at 0.3 percentage of prison population.


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