The Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola, recently disclosed that there are 75, 000 inmates currently in the country’s correctional facilities. The minister said that the Federal Government was working on de-congesting correctional centres across Nigeria by reducing the number of awaiting trial inmates. He said that the new law signed by President Muhammadu Buhari had not only changed prisons to correctional facilities, but also empowered correctional officers not to admit offenders awaiting trial, if the capacity of the facility could not accommodate them.
“What are we doing about people who are awaiting trial, the new law provides for correctional officers in the facilities to reject any person that is brought from the court, who is awaiting trial. “So with this new law, it is clear that going forward we will not have what we have now in our facilities.’’ He said that in response to the need to decongest prisons, the government had constituted a decongestion committee.
Aregbesola said the committee had been working with the Attorney-General of the Federation to decongest correctional facilities in the country. “In no distant future, we will reduce the issue of awaiting trial considerably; as we are also working with the governors on that
Because close to 90 per cent of the awaiting trial inmates are violators of state laws and so are essentially the responsibility of the various state governments.“So we equally need to carry them along in devising strategies to decongest the facilities and I want to assure us all that in six months time, this will be put behind us,’’ he added.
The minister said that government was determined to reduce pressure on its facilities, to improve care of inmates, particularly in reformation, rehabilitation, and re-adjustment to normal life when they completed their terms. President Muhammadu Buhari recently signed into law the 11-year-old Nigerian Correctional Service Bill. Nigerian prisons had been heavily criticised for their overcrowded state and poor conditions. With the newly-signed law, Rauf Aregbesola as minister of interior will decongest correctional facilities which reflect and satisfy the yearning of the concerned stakeholders for correctional centres decongestion and reformation of correctional centre inmates. Aregbesola has put in place policies that will enhance decongestion of correctional centres across Nigeria. He will address existing gaps in Correctional centres decongestion and diligently implement the advised decongestion project.
To decongest the correctional centres, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola is set to adopt the Non-Custodian Correctional Template to ensure that not everyone convicted goes to Correctional Facilities. To this end, there are suspended sentences, Community Service and other non custodial sentencing that meets International Best Practices
Rauf Aregbesola as minister of interior will rely on Section 12(8) read: “Without prejudice to subsection (4), the State Controller of Correctional Service, in conjunction with the Correctional Centre 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.” Rauf Aregbesola as minister of interior will oversee the law as it makes a strong case for the use of non-custodial sentencing for minor offenders instead of sending them to already overcrowded jails. The problem of prison congestion in the country is huge.
The minister will consider the release which involves those with option of fines, age factor, ill-health and by reasons of certain errors in their cases. “For instance, where somebody has been awaiting trial well beyond the imprisonment terms if he were convicted, you will find out that we have no reason to allow such a person to stay in correctional centre. Correctional centre reforms, constant supervision of the correctional centres by the Minister of interior and allocation of funds for provision of infrastructure to cater for the needs of the Nigerian Correctional Service. The dilapidation state of the Nigeria correctional centres demonstrates a condition that cannot guarantee the reformatory process of the inmates.
Rauf Aregbesola as minister of interior is set to introduce technology that can be the critical key to unlocking these alternatives to long-term correctional centre sentencing. In a digital world with ankle bracelets and GPS devices, there is no reason to believe that physical imprisonment is the only option for those convicted of nonviolent offenses. People can be subjected to home confinement with ankle bracelets. They can participate in work release programs that allow them to have jobs, visit family, and shop, subject to time or geographic restrictions.
But beyond the name change, the law has many provisions, which I can describe as laudable and cheering. Rauf Aregbesola as minister of interior will coordinate, as a direct response to the overcrowded correctional centres, the law, in its Section 12 (8), empowers the State Controller of Correctional Service to reject the intake of additional inmates where the facility under his watch is filled to capacity.
Rauf Aregbesola as minister of interior will supervise the Federal Executive Council (FEC) contract of N2.8 billion for the installation of a digital web-based integrated system to aid correctional centres decongestion in Nigeria. The contract is to improve the country’s justice system and decongest its prisons. Rauf Aregbesola as minister of interior will assist stakeholders in the office of the Attorney-General, Nigeria Prisons Service, Nigeria Police as well as selected courts, to monitor in real-time, the progress of pending cases and movement of suspects between the courts and prisons. It will also allow the monitoring of those who have overstayed their prison terms as well as those wrongly imprisoned
It would allow the AGF’s office and Ministry of Interior to daily monitor correctional centre inmates that should be taken to court and when; identify those that have stayed for the long awaiting trial; those whose cases have peculiar twists or other interventions that may be required; among other factors. The new system will replace the practice of setting up government committees that usually embark on a tour of prisons to hear individual cases and identify inmates who deserve pardon or prerogative of mercy as part of efforts to decongest the correctional centres.
The new system will replace the practice of setting up government committees that usually embark on a tour of correctional centres to hear individual cases and identify inmates who deserve pardon or prerogative of mercy as part of efforts to decongest the correctional centres.
The system would be operated by retrained staff of the Nigeria correctional centres, while there would be systemic checks to substantiate the input or data of suspects put into the system to avoid compromise and other forms of corruption.
Globally, millions of people each year come face to face with criminal justice system because they are suspected or accused of crime. Many are arrested and detained at police station or other law enforcement facility. Some are released while significant proportions are held in custody pending determination of guilt or innocence and unfortunately some are lost in the system.
To decongest the correctional centres, the administration of Criminal justice in Nigeria, no doubt needs review of the administration, procedure and Policy of the Criminal Justice Sector.
Rauf Aregbesola as minister of interior will identify obstacles in the apprehension and prompt prosecution of offenders, set guidelines for sentencing, observe the rights of accused persons as guaranteed by the constitution, formulate practice direction for prosecutors, and a total revamp of criminal trials with a view to enhancing the speedy dispensation of justice.
Rauf Aregbesola as minister of interior will identify obstacles of correctional centres decongestion which simulates a lot of interest globally so much so that some people around the world are indicating interest to visit Nigeria and tap knowledge from the various correctional centres formations skills acquisition centres. Rauf Aregbesola will implement policy and programmes of President Muhammadu Buhari, who will exercise his powers vested in him via the constitutional vessel of the Prerogative of Mercy.
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Inwalomhe Donald writes from Abuja via [email protected]
