Lagos correctional centres over-stretched by 104%, govt says

• Reveals 21,048 persons arrested for stealing in 2023
• ‘100 Lagos PHCs require deep renovation’
• 81 convicted inmates awaiting execution in Niger
• Pose security threat in centres

Lagos State Government, yesterday, said that the capacity of the seven correctional and custodian centres in the state are over-stretched by 104 per cent, housing 9,691 inmates instead of 4,757.It added that the Ikoyi Correctional Centre alone is over-stretched by 300 per cent.

The state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, disclosed this during the ongoing media briefing to mark the first year of the second term of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration in office.

According to Petro, the Badagry Custodial Centre though has a capacity for 320 inmates, but 508 inmates are staying in the centre. He added that the Ikoyi Custodial Centre has a capacity for 800 inmates, but about 3,311 inmates are housed at the centre, while the Kirikiri Female Custodial Centre has capacity for 271 inmates, but 310 inmates are living in the centre.

He further said that the Kirikiri Medium Custodial Centre has a capacity for 1,940 inmates but 2,949 inmates are staying in the centre, while the Kirikiri Maximum Custodial Centre has capacity for 1,056 inmates, but 2,017 inmates are housed in the centre.

Pedro also said that the Oregun Correction Centre has capacity for 120 inmates, but 88 inmates are staying in the centre while Borstal Training Institute has capacity for 250 inmates but housed 507 inmates.

The commissioner, who said that about 21,048 persons were arrested for stealing and 2,127 arrested for murder and homicide, further said that 7,044 persons were arrested for breach of peace, 406 for kidnapping-related offences; 2231 for defilement/rape/sex-related; 2,739 for assault; 4,518 for armed robbery; 1,776 for robbery-related offences; 1,191 for drug-related crime; 2,615 for unlawful society/cultism and 1,714 for felony.

Pedro also stated that the Lekki area of the state tops the locations where offences were committed the most, accounting for 13 per cent of the offences, followed by Ikorodo, Oshodi-Isolo, Apapa and Ojo with 10 per cent of the offences each.

Also briefing, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said: “Our infrastructure development strategy involves both the construction of new healthcare facilities and the substantial renovation of existing ones.

The dual approach, according to him, ensures that all facilities from – primary healthcare centres to tertiary hospitals – are equipped to deliver high-quality services. We have close to 30 high volume general hospitals in Lagos and we are systematically doing a deep and thorough refurbishment to ensure that we totally modernise all of them.

Abayomi said that the first batch of facilities that would be renovated include Lagos Island, Isolo, Harvey, Ajeromi and Ibeju-Lekki general hospitals.

He also said that out of the over 300 plus primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in the state, about 100 require deep renovations.

IN another development, a total of 81 inmates on death row (IDR) are currently awaiting execution at the correctional centres across Niger State. The Guardian learnt that the inmates were convicted and sentenced to death by hanging after they were found guilty of culpable homicide punishable under Section 221 of the Penal Code Law by court of competent jurisdiction in the high courts of the state.

The inmates include three females, while remaining 78 were males. However, it was further gathered that most of the inmates are causing unrest in the centres a result of the uncertainty surrounding their fates while in custody.

The source, who craved for anonymity, said that the Comptroller of the Correctional Service in Niger State, Muhammad HamisuIsah, worried by the ugly trend of the large number of inmates of death row in two of the custodial centres in Minna, had early this month relocated 48 of them to some correctional custodian centres outside the state.