FG orders immediate decongestion of correctional centres

*As NCoS elevates 70 officers

The federal government has ordered the immediate decongestion of correctional facilities across the federation in line with the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019, to reduce overcrowding.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, gave the order at the decoration of 13 newly promoted Assistant Controller Generals, (ACGs), and 57 Controllers of the service and the commissioning of 30 operational vehicles yesterday in Abuja.

The minister said the NCoS should go into discussions with state governments on how to immediately decongestion the facilities as there has been an upsurge of inmates in recent times and three-quarters of the inmates in custody are awaiting trial.

Represented by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore, he congratulated the new ranks and urged the Controller General of the NCoS, Haliru Nababa, to direct all controllers in charge of correctional facilities to decongest the facilities as stipulated by the Act.

“May I remind the Controller General to direct all controllers in charge of correctional facilities across Nigeria to implement the minister’s directive to decongest the facilities as in the NCoS Act,” Belgore said.

“We are all working for a humane environment where inmates can realise their potential and achieve their dreams while serving a jail term. They are human beings like you and me, hence the need for us to ensure good living conditions throughout their stay.

Aregbesola further told state controllers of the prisons to ensure that their facilities are not operating above capacity and they can do this even if it means rejecting inmates brought to them as long as the centre is already filled up to avoid congestion.

“Let me buttress this fact with Nigerian Correctional service Act 2019, section 12 subsection 8 as amended which states that ‘without prejudice to subsection 4, the state controller of correctional service in conjunction with the superintendent, shall have the power to reject more intakes of inmates where it is apparent that the correctional centre in question is filled to capacity.”

“I will therefore advise you to be guided by of the Act with a view to ensuring that our correctional centres are decongested as the ongoing construction of facilities across the country will ultimately make this task achievable.

“the effort to decongest our correctional centres by the building of new facilities in Kano and Karshi in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), to not only accommodate inmates but to also provide better facilities for inmates, to improve their living conditions and to ensure skill acquisition in a conducive learning environment that will aid inmates’ reintegration back to the society,” he said.

Earlier, Controller General of the service, Haliru Nababa said the decoration and commissioning of operational vehicles specifically modified and designated to convey Armed Guards for different operational duties in defense of custodial centres and safe custody of inmates, is yet another milestone that attests to the phenomenal transformation that the NCoS has continued to experience in recent past.

He notes that the elevation of the senior officers will inject fresh ideas and reinvigorate the service’s workforce for optimal performance hence, the support the agency enjoys from the “minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola and indeed that of the entire Civil Defence, Corrections, Fire and Immigration Board in making the year 2022 promotions a reality.”

“Let me first and foremost; congratulate those promoted, on their elevation to these enviable ranks. As a Service, we always look forward to moments like this, as it signifies growth and sustainability in the system. The welfare of personnel and inmates has remained key under my stewardship because this underpins my commitment to the provision of more staff quarters and better living conditions for inmates,” he said.

One of the newly promoted senior officers, ACG Lydia Abraham, pointed out that the promotion is a trust by the service and the nation at large to do more to uplift the nation and to show greater commitment to the confidence reposed in all those promoted.

Abraham who is also the General Manager of the Correctional Cooperative Society, (COCOS), said “being promoted to the rank of an assistant controller general is a call to greater duty and it is asking me to do more than what I have done in the past and I believe that what will enable me to do in the future is going to be greater.”

“I will encourage every female officer, woman and our daughter out there not to let anyone intimidate you because you have a great deposit of potential inside of you so you have to stir up that potential in you and let everyone know,” She advised.