No fewer than 28 inmates of the Kuje correctional centre in Abuja are to be provided free legal representation by the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON).
The 28 were identified and interviewed by officials of the LACON, led by the Acting Director of the agency’s Abuja office, Okwuegbu Egenti, during a visit to the centre.
According to a statement by an Assistant Director in the Press Unit of LACON, Amaka Agbaih the visit to Kuje correctional centre was facilitated by the agency’s Director General, Aliyu Abubakar.
Agbaih noted that the age bracket of the inmates, “who are majorly, teens, youths and young adults, is between 17 years and 35 years.”
She said the visiting LACON officials were impressed with the state of the correctional centre, including the facilities provided.
Part of the statement reads: “The facilities within the centre are very good and meet international standards.
“The inmates, apart from those awaiting trial, can benefit from such facilities and come out of custody as reformed persons after serving their jail term.
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“Furthermore, the ICT unit is commendable as inmates are seen making use of the computers systems for their lectures and so on.
“The general outlook of the Kuje correctional centre is highly commendable and LACON is hopeful that the Controller General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa will ensure that other correctional centres across the country are equally brought to standard.
“The Welfare Officer of the centre, Mr. A. Jacob, appreciated the Council for the good job being done and encourage it to do more despite its lean resources.
“Mr. Jacob was also glad to inform the Council that some of the inmates its officials represented by in the month of July, 2024 later met their bail conditions and were discharged.”
