The Federal Government said yesterday that it would spend N22.4 billion to feed 75,507 inmates across 244 custodial centers this year.
Belgore in his statement said that there has been a surprising rise in the population of inmates across the correctional centres, with at least 80 per cent of them awaiting trial. He also added that of the 244 custodial centres nationwide, 82 of them are over-crowded.
Of the total number of inmates, 73,821 are males. 52,436 are awaiting trial, 23,071 convicted and 3,322 on death row.
The permanent secretary stated that the N22.4 billion is budgeted for in the 2023 Appropriation Bill, noting government was showing concerns about the correctional facilities.
Belgore, who hoped the conference discussions would be robust and would definitely address critical issues, added that the government would relentlessly work to ensure the safety and security of inmates.
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola said there is need for urgent rehabilitation in Corrections administration and criminal justice in the country.
Aregbesola worried about the level of congestion of correctional facilities, especially those in urban areas of Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Benin, Owerri and Enugu. According to him, the target of the constitution amendment on Corrections was ‘to remedy the overcrowding of our custodial centres due to a high number of pre-trial detentions, arbitrary arrests, inability to meet bail conditions and general delays in the administration of justice system’.
“When we talk about congestion, this is a phenomenon of the large urban centres in places like Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Benin, Owerri, Enugu and state capitals in general. The custodial facilities in the not so urban areas are not overcrowded, with many of them operating below capacity.”
