The Controller of Correctional Service, Lagos State Command, Ben-Rabbi Freedman, has decried the congestion of inmates in Lagos State correctional centres, which he blamed on lack of insufficient infrastructure.
He also said that inmates awaiting trial, including those in need of legal advice, were one of the causes of congestion in the correctional facilities. Freedman gave the lamentation during the fifth yearly conference of the RCCG Prison and Hospital Ministry, with the theme: “Wind of Divine Repositioning,” held at the Redemption Camp, Mowe, Ogun State. He expressed concern that no fewer than 700 inmates were being brought to correctional centres every two weeks.
“Seventy per cent of inmates in correctional facilities in Nigeria are awaiting trial. This is an issue. Some of the inmates do not have legal representation, though there are legal aids provided for the indigent, including assistance from non-governmental organisations and RCCG. This is not enough.
“The issue of criminal justice is really begging for serious attention. We have institutional gaps in the paths of the police and the judiciary,” Freedman said.
Also, the National Chairman, RCCG Prison and Hospital Ministry, Ariyo Popoola, urged parents, guardians and religious bodies to dedicate significant time and focus to the children. He said that the welfare of inmates had been a priority for the ministry with many of them receiving training in various vocational skills.
In his keynote address, the National Overseer of the RCCG, Sunday Akande, advised the ministry to align itself as one of the apparatus to stimulate numerical and spiritual growth of the church in the pursuit of Visions 2032 mandate of RCCG.
