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House of Representatives, yesterday, urged federal and state governments to utilise their power of prerogative of mercy to grant amnesty to deserving inmates to decongest correctional centres across the country.
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In Nigeria, according to World Prison Brief (WPB), an institution collating data on prisons worldwide, there were 74,059 inmates as of January 31, 2023.
The country has the highest number of inmates in West Africa but ranks seventh on the continent, coming behind South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria, Morocco and Rwanda.
Adopting a motion sponsored by Chinedu Ogah (APC, Ebonyi), the lawmakers also asked the Federal Ministry of Justice to prevent delays in justice dispensation in the country and enhance the process of meeting bail conditions.
Moving the motion, Ogah said the Nigerian Correctional Centres were mandated to reform, rehabilitate, and ensure effective reintegration of offenders into society in line with universally accepted standards.
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