The Nation Newspaper

Tag: prisons

  • Allege N12.6b fraud: Prisons, Immigration deny report

    •Says no money was missing

    The Nigeria Prisons Service, (NPS) and the Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS) yesterday refuted reports that the two arm of government according to a report could not account for N12.6bn spent in 2015.

    A national daily (not The Nation) had last Thursday reported that the NIS and the NPS could not account for N12. 662 billion they spent in 2015 report of the Auditor General of the Federation.

    The audit report obtained by the national daily revealed that immigration has the largest share of N9. 076 billion and prison has N3. 586 billion.

    In separate reactions to the story, both organizations yesterday denied the report saying that no money was missing.

    NPS spokesman, Francis Enobore said: “The attention of the authorities of the Nigerian Prisons Service has been drawn to a publication in one of the daily newspapers of December 28, 2017 alleging fraud in the Prisons Service. According to the writer, the Auditor General of the Federation requested the Service to produce documents to explain some expenditures and remittances to the Federal Inland Revenue (FIRS) among others in the 2015 audit report.

    “It is common knowledge that such requests from the Auditor General of the Federation are normal accounting procedures for checks and balances in the public sector. Unfortunately, the writer skewed the report and concluded that money was missing when the checking process was still on-going.

    “We want to state clearly that the documents being requested are intact and are being processed by the appropriate authority. We further wish to assure the public that funds allocated to the Service are judiciously applied and no money is missing.

    “The present leadership maintains an unrelenting commitment to transparency and accountability in its thrust to place the Prisons on a higher pedestal and therefore solicits genuine support from well-meaning individuals to achieve this goal.”

    On his part, the NIS Public Relations Officer, Sunday James said: “Nigeria Immigration Service under the leadership of Muhammad Babandede, welcomes reportage that are critical in assisting his, administration to right any wrong if observed, and to deliver on the mandate for which he was appointed, the service believe that  its records are up to date and even the controversial report by a newspaper on the NIS audit account report for 2015 was going to help the service in no small measure as a prudent and accountable agency of the federal government.

    “The present administration will not speak on what happened in 2015,but the CGI had earlier in the year directed the NIS audit team to respond to some observations raised by the Auditor General of the Federation  on 2015 audited account which was satisfactorily responded to  in line with the request and specifics observed, however the NIS is stating in clear terms  that our audit report is up to date with all revenue and financial appropriation offices of the government, the CGI operates an open and transparent office and will always expect that such information be confirmed before it is given a wrong interpretation especially that it has nothing to do with this administration that came on board in May 2016.”

  • ‘Govt should give more attention to prisons’

    Mr. Benson Iwuagwu is a lawyer with 15 years experience. A former member of staff of Falana and Falana Chambers, he is the Executive Director, Prison Fellowship Nigeria (PFN), a non-governmental organisation (NGO). In this interview with Joseph Eshanokpe, Iwuagwu speaks on the conditions of the prisons, the role of the NGOs and others.

    Describe the prison system?

    The Nigeria prison is typically underfunded, and lacks basic infrastructure that ordinarily one should have expected in a correctional institution, such as workshops – vocational – psychological and drug treatment programmes. Though we have some in place, they are being run by non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

    We need to have all these too for the prisoners to have psychological change.  The things that make  people behave in anti-social ways are complex and until you change them, there will be no effect.

    Why should prisoners be taken care of? Are they not serving punishment for the crimes they committed?

    Punishment must serve a purpose. If  is not tied to correction, it is wicked and unprofitable and against the norms of civilisation. It is a deceit. It is an unfair base emotion that the person has gone to prison and you are happy. That is not justice. It is when the bone of contention is restored and a rehabilitation done to ensure that the person does not do so again that is justice. For example, we have our little children that we correct when they go wrong and they change.

    Similarly, going to prison does not give any one any benefit, if the one who goes to the prison is not rehabilitated.

    What about those who go there and are not rehabilitated or come back hardened?

    They go there and come back hardened because of lack of infrastructure. For example, people go to the hospital when they are sick and when there is no proper prescription, he will remain sick and may die. It is the same way with the prison. When you don’t address their problems, the inmates will remain the same and get angry or bitter.

    Any person can go to jail. The only thing is that it is the poor man or woman, who goes there that suffers. The government should show interest in the welfare of prisoners, after all they are Nigerians.

    How do you address the stigma/attitude of people to ex-prisoners? For example, in employment forms, one is expected to state if one was an ex-convict or not. And if it turns out to be so, you don’t get the job or one is treated with suspicion.

    We have been canvassing that the government should remove that from our statue books. Anyone, who has served a prison term, has paid the price. The government is promoting hate and discrimination, for the prisoners have been punished. So, it is double punishment. That is why they return to crime.

    How do we address the problem of those awaiting trials?

    That case is a sad one. One, it is the nature of criminal system that one, who is alleged to commit a crime, is admitted to bail or remanded until one perfects the bail terms. It is a problem of our justice system. It will be helpful if the court can take their circumstance into consideration in setting their bail conditions.

    What can the government do to assist the prisons?

    It should fund the prisons properly and ensure that those who go there are well reformed. It should address the poverty in the land, especially the underprivileged, who are the main occupants of our prisons. A lot of them are those trying to eke out a living with yearly income of N10,000. Now you fine such a person N30,000 for wandering or displaying his goods on the road, for example, how does he pay?

    What is the role of the NGOs in the prison system?

    If you remove the NGOs from the prisons, there will be total darkness or collapse. And you’ll see the dangerous effect of overcrowding. It is the NGOs that give the inmates hope and help to change the prisoners, which is necessary for a change of their lifestyles. The government in some ways should celebrate the NGOs. They are filling a critical gap left by the government. It should look for ways to support them and not to discourage them by, for example, granting them land for agriculture or allocating them buildings for their use, rather than muscle them through the anti-NGO bill. There are enough regulations through registration and all that. The bill is totally a busy body. It is like pursuing the rat when the house is one fire. The lawmakers should talk of other things like the power bill or how to make the people on the street happy. Therefore, the bill is ill-advised in view of the many socio-economic problems in the country.

     

     

  • AGF regrets sorry state of nation’s prisons

    AGF regrets sorry state of nation’s prisons

    •Says prison condition violates inmates’ rights

    The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) has regretted the sorry state of affairs in the nation’s prisons.

    Malami noted that, not only are the prisons overcrowded with mostly awaiting trial inmates, they are without the necessary facilities.

    He argued that the condition in which inmates were kept in the nation’s prisons is not only a violation of required international standard, it violate the rights of the inmates.

    Malami spoke in Abuja yesterday while inaugurating a stakeholders’ committee to oversee the implementation of the Federal Executive Council’s directive to fast track the decongestion of prisons.

    He said: “The current state of our prisons is unfortunately very alarming. There is no gainsaying that the facilities are vastly overcrowded with inmates and the environment mostly not conducive, therefore defeating the primary purpose of the prisons as primarily reformation centres.

    “As a matter of fact, the state of our prisons directly touches on the fundamental human rights of these inmates and constitutes a violation of those rights.

    “It is particularly worrisome that about 70 per cent of the inmates in Nigerian prisons are awaiting trial. This is rather embarrassing and an indictment of the national justice system.

    “This situation contradicts international standards, including those provided in the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) that provides for limited use of pre-trial detention only when certain conditions are present,” Malami said.

    He noted that past efforts at decongesting the nation’s prisons have not been particularly successful, a development that informed the new initiative.

    The AGF said the role of the committee will include to come up with an effective strategy in the form of a road map and comprehensive action plan to ensure that permanent gains were achieved in the task of reforming and decongesting the nation’s correctional institutions.

    Some of the measures to be adopted include the creation of a case management system to integrate existing prison information systems in some parts of the country, and review of cases of inmates awaiting trial for up to five years and of inmates eligible for prerogative of mercy periodically.

    Other measures, Malami said, include the application of the provisions of Part 44, sections 453, 460 and 468 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) on no-custodial sentencing, and liaising with the National Assembly on the need for the prompt passage of the Nigeria Prison and Correctional Services Bill.

    Malami also stressed the need for collaboration with Chief Judges of the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on ways to fast track prison decongestion, and working with states’ Attorneys-General to develop necessary prison decongestion policy.

    The committee’s Chairman and Chief Judge of the High Court of the FCT, Justice Ishaq Bello assured that his committee would do a thorough job.

    Justice Bello noted that states were reluctant to adopt the ACJA, a development partially responsible for delay in the administration of criminal cases and prison congestion.

    He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to encourage state Governors to adopt the ACJA as a way of ensure prompt handling of criminal cases and elimination of congestion in prisons.

     

  • ‘Govt should pay more attention to prisons’

    Mr. Benson Iwuagwu is a lawyer with 15 years experience. A former member of staff of Falana and Falana Chambers, he is the executive director, Prison Fellowship Nigeria (PFN), a non-governmental organisation (NGO). In this interview with Joseph Eshanokpe, he speaks on the conditions of the prisons, the role of the NGOs and others.

    Describe the prison system?

    The Nigeria prison is typically underfunded, and lacks basic infrastructure that ordinarily one should have expected in a correctional institution, such as workshops – vocational – psychological and drug treatment programmes. Though we have some in place, they are being run by non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

    We need to have all these too for the prisoners to have psychological change.  The things that make  people behave in anti-social ways are complex and until you change them, there will be no effect.

    Why should prisoners be taken care? Are they not serving punishment for the crimes they committed?

    Punishment must serve a purpose. If  is not tied to correction; it is wicked and unprofitable and against the norms of civilisation. It is a deceit. It is an unfair base emotion. That the person has gone to prison and you are happy. That is not justice. It is when the bone of contention is restored and a rehabilitation done to ensure that the person does not do so again that is justice. For example, we have our little children that we correct when they go wrong and they change.

    Similarly, going to prison does not give any one any benefit, if the one who goes to the prison is not rehabilitated.

    What about those who go there and are not rehabilitated or come back hardened?

    They go there and come back hardened because of lack of infrastructure. For example, people go to the hospital when they are sick and when there is no proper prescription, he will remain sick and die. It is the same way with the prison. When you don’t address their problems, the inmates will remain the same and get angry or bitter.

    Any person can go to jail. The only thing is that it is the poor man or woman, who goes there that suffers. The government should show interest in the welfare of prisoners, after all they are Nigerians.

    How do you address the stigma/attitude of people to ex-prisoners? For example, in employment forms, one is expected to state if one was an ex-convict. And if it turns out to be so, you don’t get the job or one is treated with suspicion.

    We have been canvassing that the government should remove that from our statue books. Anyone, who has served a prison term has paid the price. The government is promoting hate and discrimination, for the prisoners have been punished. So, it is double punishment. That is why they return to crime.

    How do we address the problem of those awaiting trials?

    That case is a sad one. One, it is the nature of criminal system that one, who is alleged to commit a crime, is admitted to bail or remanded until one perfects the bail terms. It is a problem of our justice system. It will be helpful if the court can take their circumstance into consideration in setting their bail conditions.

    What can the government do to assist the prisons?

    It should fund the prisons properly and ensure that those who go there are well reformed. It should address the poverty in the land, especially the underprivileged, who are the main occupants of our prisons. A lot of them are those trying to eke out a living with yearly income of N10,000. Now you fine such a person N30,000 for wandering or displaying his goods on the road, for example, how does he pay?

    What is the role of the NGOs in the prison system?

    If you remove the NGOs from the prisons, there will be total darkness or collapse. And you’ll see the dangerous effect of overcrowding. It is the NGOs that give the inmates hope and help to change the prisoners, which is necessary for a change of their lifestyles. The government in some ways should celebrate the NGOs. They are filling a critical gap left by the government. It should look for ways to support them and not to discourage them by, for example, granting them land for agriculture or allocate them buildings for their use, rather than muscle them through the anti-NGO bill. There are enough regulations through registration and all that. The bill is totally a busy body. It is like pursuing the rat when the house is one fire. The lawmakers should talk of other things like the power bill – how to make the people on the street happy. Therefore, the bill is ill-advised in view of the many socio-economic problems in the country.

     

  • FG urged to reform prisons run like ‘concentration camps’.

    FG urged to reform prisons run like ‘concentration camps’.

    The federal government has been charged to take urgent steps to salvage the nation’s prisons system, which is now run with services said to be below the least human standards.
    Giving the charge in a statement issued to journalists in Warri, Delta state on Saturday, a human rights outfit; the Centre for the Vulnerable & the Underprivileged (CENTREP), said the prisons across the country have lost all the qualities of what the system should be, now mostly run like ‘concentration camps’.
    In the statement signed by its Executive Director, Oghenejabor Ikimi, CENTREP also called for the immediate suspension of all ongoing military operations across the country, describing them as aberration in a civil society.  Instead the organisation asked the federal government to replace the military with well equipped police force.
    Citing the deplorable state of the Federal Prison, Warri, where a slave camp with facilities for 307 persons was converted to a prison institution, now housing close to 2000 inmates, with no improved provision, the organsation regretted the inhuman circumstances to which prisoners are now subjected to.
    “We call on the Federal Government to renovate all the Federal Prisons across the nation to make them reformative centres as they have transformed gradually over the years from mere prisons to concentration camps reminiscent of the Nazi concentration camps described in Hitler Mien Kamp.
    “For instance the Federal Prison, Warri, which was renovated into a prison from a slave camp in the year 1907, meant for 307 inmates, now houses close to 2,000 inmates with zero facilities on ground. The feeding and welfare of inmates most of which are awaiting trial are below acceptable human conditions”, the statement said.
    Calling for the immediate stoppage of ongoing military operations across the country, CENTREP said ““it is an aberration for the military to be engaged in the internal security of a nation. Internal security of our nation should be left for the police to deal with while the military should be saddled with wading off external aggression and the Boko Haram insurgents.
    “The frustration in the South-East geopolitical region is understandable. No wonder the rumour in Abia and Enugu States that the military are spreading monkey pox with vaccines being administered in their medical exercises. We insist the military cannot and are not responsible for monkey pox attack,” CENTREP stated.
  • Prisons’ congestion a national scandal – Buhari

    Prisons’ congestion a national scandal – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has raised alarm over the state of the nation’s prisons, noting that it is a national scandal that many prisons are overcrowded by 90 percent.

    The president stated this when he hosted a delegation of the judicial arm of government led by the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.

    He, therefore, stressed the need to put in place urgent new measures to speedily decongest the prisons across the country.

    He stated that the call had become imperative not only in the interest of justice but to save the cost of prisons’ maintenance and boost the welfare of prisoners.

    “We need a new approach to prison congestion. It is a national scandal that many prisons are overcrowded by 90 percent.

    “Urgent new measures should be put place to speedily decongest the prisons not only in the interest of justice but to save the cost of prisons’ maintenance and welfare of prisoners.

    “My Attorney General is advocating the establishment of courts inside the prisons to speed up decongestion,’’ he said.

    On review of the conditions of service of the judicial staff, the president directed the office of the Attorney General of the federation to take up the issue with the Salary and Wages Commission with a view to advising him for prompt action.

    He stated that his administration was not unmindful of the challenges facing the judiciary, saying that the increased budgetary allocation to the judiciary in the 2017 fiscal year would be sustained.

    Buhari lamented that huge sums were being spent on security, especially in the North East and Niger Delta regions, instead of meaningful development, to better the lives of citizens.

    He, however, expressed optimism that God would touch the minds of Nigerians to be patient with the government in its efforts to transform the nation’s economy.

    “From 1999 to 2014, Nigeria has never realised so many resources since our independence, never, because of the average production, go to any renowned financial or economic institution in the world they know Nigeria produced an average of 2.1 million barrel per day at an average cost of 100 dollars per barrel.

    “But when we came in it crashed to 37 dollars per barrel, and we looked saving and there was no saving.

    “So really, we have just started working and we hope God in his infinite mercy would give Nigerians the patient to tolerate us,” he added.

    While commending the judiciary for establishing special courts to speed up the trial for corruption and other criminal cases, Buhari said the stability of the country depended a lot on the Judiciary and Police.

    Earlier, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, thanked God for healing President Buhari.

    He reassured the president that the judiciary would continue to do its best for the country.

  • Nigeria at 57: Obaseki approves release of 70 prisoners

    Nigeria at 57: Obaseki approves release of 70 prisoners

    …Urges Nigerians to aim for greatness

     

    As part of activities to mark Nigeria’s 57th independence anniversary, Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, approved the release of 70 inmates from various prisons across the state.

    The 70 inmates to be released have been in prison for a considerable time, some of them not less than two years without trial.

    Obaseki said this was a step towards improving the justice delivery system in the state as well as reducing the number of awaiting-trial inmates by 50 percent, which is part of Federal Government’s policy on decongesting prisons.

    He, however, stated that the inmates would be sternly cautioned to stay away from crime before they are let go.

    At a church service held earlier to mark the independence anniversary, Governor Obaseki, urged Nigerians to be grateful for the opportunity to coexist peacefully in a free nation for 57 years, stressing, “We are united as a nation and poised for greatness.”

    The service held at the Christ Embassy Zonal Headquarter, Erediauwa Street, off Ekehuan Road, Benin City, Edo State.

    Governor Obaseki said Nigerians have all accepted that we are one indivisible nation and added that the ongoing conversation on restructuring is not one that would divide the nation, but rather enhance its growth and prosperity.

    “As a country, we are endowed. The problem is not Nigeria. We only need to change our attitude as a people and the nation will certainly grow and develop and our people will prosper.”

    He said, as a people, Nigerians need to be much more productive, as the era of easy oil money is over and to get ahead in the new dispensation, the people must become more productive and enterprising.

    Obaseki called on leaders in all spheres of society to go back to their communities and organise their people towards spurring the country to greatness.

    The head Pastor of the church, Moses Olayemi, called on Nigerians to always have positive thoughts towards the country, and only make good statements about themselves, no matter how challenging their circumstances may appear to be.

    Other government functionaries at the church service include the first lady, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki; the Chief of Staff, Taiwo Akerele; the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie; the Commissioner for Art, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, Osazee Osemwegie-Ero; Commissioner for Environment, Reginald Okun; Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment, Emmanuel Usoh; Commissioner for youth and Special Duties, Mika Amanokha; Commissioner for Health, David Osifo and APC Women leader, Aisosa Amadasun.

  • Nigerians in ‘private’ prisons abroad

    SIR: There are too many reports of Nigerians in foreign prisons these days.  The last report published with The Guardian of Wednesday, June 28, said that the number of Nigerians in private prisons in Libya is over 2,000.

    What is the meaning of private prisons? Aren’t these detention camps without government control?

    How long shall we continue to hear such sad news of our citizens being kept in prisons or of those who lost their lives in the seas? If the Nigerian governments can create jobs and provide enabling environment for its citizen, I don’t think Nigerians within the age of 20 to 35, who constitute the most productive part of our human resource would be dying just to travel out only to be locked up like animals in a zoo.

     

    • Assurance Ovie,

    Benin City.

  • NEC approves rehabilitation of prisons by states

    NEC approves rehabilitation of prisons by states

    The National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday resolved that state government with the financial capacity can rehabilitate prisons and provide necessary facilities towards reducing prison decongestion across the country.

    The decision was reached during the 78th session presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The Council had expressed worries over the appalling conditions of structures and logistics in the nation’s prisons after a presentation by the Minister of Interior, Abdulraman Danbazzu and the Comptroller General of Prisons.

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, said the governors were unanimous on the need to rehabilitate prisons in the country.

    He said: “The situation they painted was quite pathetic. I visited the prisons in my state for the first time recently and what l saw was terrible. So, it was agreed that governors should on their own develop initiatives to manage the prisons. For instance, some have transferred prisons from urban centres.

    “NEC agreed that governors should support the federal government on prison matters. States that have the capacity to build prisons should go ahead and do so, including the involvement of private sector participation.

    “The minister said 70 per cent of inmates are awaiting trial. Some of them can be converted to labour use. 10 per cent of them are condemned, meaning 20 per cent are true prisoners. Some of the prisoners should be engaged in agricultural programme.

    “Governors should do a number of things to decongest prisons. Chief judges of states should frequently visit prisons. Governors should either sign death sentences of those condemned or commit them because it is risky leaving them after their trial had been concluded. NEC resolved that there should be emergency situations on prisons.”

    Also speaking, Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, gave an update on the Excess Crude Account (ECA) put at $2.3billion as well as Stabilization, Natural Resources Development and Ecological Funds.

    He said that Council also approved extension of budget support to states due to the economic recession.

    He said: “Council was briefed on budget support to states because of dwindling revenue and budget implementation. The programme was meant for a year but because of recession, acting president said the facility should continue pending when other claims of states and local governments would be settled.”

    The Budget Support Loan Facility is an initiative of the Buhari administration to help states boost their funding in the light of the dwindling Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations.

     

     

  • New dawn at the prisons

    New dawn at the prisons

    The old, dreary order at the prisons is giving way as over 400 vehicles and farm tools have been provided for the penitentiaries, reports GBENGA OMOKHUNU.

    ‘The challenges faced over the years by the service, according to the Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd) who commissioned the operational vehicles and farm implements in Abuja range from poor and old dilapidating infrastructure, prisons congestion, urban encroachment, poor budgetary provisions, and misappropriation of funds, among others’

    Life is usually miserable at the prisons. It is a shame that inmates have got used to overcrowded cells. Food is drab, and the general idea of a place of reformation is largely a joke. Even for the workers, there is pretty little to lift the spirits. Tools of work are in deficits; even vans to take inmates to court are in very short supply. This has left prison administrators in a fix and often appealing for help, wherever they can get it, and whoever can provide it.

    This gloomy atmosphere is lifting. Over 400 operational vehicles and farm implements have been provided for the prisons. It is a new dawn for workers as inmates.

    Modern prison service in Nigeria dates back to 1861 when western-type prison system was established in the country. The declaration of Lagos as a colony in the same year the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) was formed into two tiers, Federal and Local native authority system, until the abolition of the native authority tier of government in 1968. With this abolition of the system, the Prison Services then merged to form the present Nigeria Prisons Service.

    The vision of the Prison Service in Nigeria which seeks lasting change in offender’s attitudes, values and behaviour while ensuring successful reintegration of inmates into the society is not far from the global mandate of penitentiaries, which focuses on the reformation, rehabilitation as well as the reintegration of transformed ex-inmates into the society.

    The NPS contributes substantially to the nation’s internal security for taking custody of prisoners considered dangerous to the society, while giving the rest citizens a sense of safety and security. In Nigeria, the mission and vision of the Nigeria Prisons Service has been faced with daunting challenges, which have impeded the smooth realisation of its objectives. The challenges faced over the years by the service, according to the Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd) who commissioned the operational vehicles and farm implements in Abuja range from poor and old dilapidating infrastructure, prisons congestion, urban encroachment, poor budgetary provisions, and misappropriation of funds, among others.

    The merger of the Police with the Ministry of Interior makes it easier to retool the Criminal Justices System (CJS), which stands on a tripod, having two of such stands in the Ministry.

    Realising the urgency to deliver on his mandate, Minister of Interior, according to findings, sought and obtained the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to procure operational vehicles and farming implements for the Nigeria Prison Service in the last quarter of 2016, a move seen by many as a demonstration of the will and commitment of the President Buhari administration to re-write the story of past neglect of the Prison Service.

    Dambazau said, “Although a few skeptics queried the rationale behind such investments in the prisons at a time the nation’s economy is in recession, this approach is quite ingenious and applauded by many as it possesses the ace cards to setting the agenda for the sustainable reformation of prison service in Nigeria.

    “Apart from the fact that it will make available operational vehicles for transporting inmates to the courts as at when due with it attendants, importance of ensuring decongestion of the prisons, it will also assist in reducing pressure on it facilities. Moreover the tractors and other farming implements are needed to reactivate the 16 prisons farms spread across the country, which in the long run will empower the Service to produce substantial quantity of food materials needed to feed inmates. Suffice it to say that these farms could also create jobs opportunities, serve as training centres for agric students, while adding to the nation’s GDP.

    “This dream of President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to embark on a journey of prisons reformation in Nigeria was made realistic, with the commissioning of over four hundred operational vehicles and farm tractors and other implements recently acquired by the Service.”

    Speaking further at the official lunch, Dambazau applauded the huge commitment of Government towards Prisons reformation.

    He assured that the vehicles will help in quick dispensation of cases as inmates will be moved to court promptly while ensuring justice for all.

    The minister said the farming implements will scale up production capacity of prison farm centres.

    He said the projection is to make maximum utilisation of available land and human resources in the production of foods for prisoners’ consumption and sale to the general public, ultimately reducing the financial burden on government.

    Dambazau also noted that the prison service is also keying into governments agenda of diversifying the economy through agriculture.

    In the areas of infrastructural decay, the minister stated that work was ongoing in several prisons across the country to rebuild dilapidated structures built over 100 years ago, while his Ministry has also signed a MOU with some state governments to relocate prisons already encroached by urban cities.

    He reiterated government’s desire to carry out a holistic reformation of the Criminal Justice System capable of delivering world class services in line with international best practices.

    Also speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Controller General (CG) of the NPS, Mr. Ja’afaru Ahmed saluted President Muhammadu Buhari for the huge investment in the Prison Service.

    He used the occasion to give account of his stewardship in office and assured his supervising Minister of his unalloyed commitment to implement every detail of the Prisons reform agenda.

    Ahmed said the vehicles and equipment will be put to maximum use to return the Service to its primacy, and that skills acquisition programme for inmates is also receiving attention.

    He said, “The step taken thus far by the Minister is quite commendable and unarguably a bold attempt to retool the Criminal Justice System which has over the years suffered poor attention.

    “The Ministry of Interior has also perfected plans to deepen collaboration with the Judiciary on speedy trial of cases. The Police, Prison and Judicial officers will also receive requisite training in this regard.

    “Security being one of the cardinal agenda of the Present administration, reforming the Criminal Justice System is of immense importance to government and requires the support of all well-meaning Nigerians.”