The Senate has called for Correctional Centres in the country to adequately profile inmates and separate them according to their offences in order to ensure their proper transformation and behavioural change.
The Senate made the call on Tuesday during plenary, following a motion moved by Sen. Lilian Ekwunife (Anambra Central) entitled: “The need to upgrade, decongest and disinfect Correctional Centres nationwide.”
The Senate noted that Nigeria Maintains about 250 correctional centres formerly known as prisons, comprising of maximum, minimum, satellite prisons and others, accommodating about 74,000 inmates, spread all over various locations in the country.
“Worried that out of 74,000 inmates, only 24,000 are convicted while the remaining 50,000 are awaiting trial.
“Reports from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) covering the period from 2011 to 2015 shows that 72.5 per cent of Nigeria’s total prison populations are serving time while awaiting trial, this includes those with petty issues such as shoplifting and traffic offences.
“Very worried that it is common knowledge that overcrowding has created a very unhygienic and inhumane environment in our correctional centres, these congestions have over the years been responsible for an outbreak of diseases in our correctional centres, orchestrated by poor medical facilities.
“Concerned that although our prisons have been given the new name “Correctional Centres”, they are so by names only, they are in no way near the standards of Correction Centres anywhere in the world.
“In many instances, first offenders are lumped up with hardened criminals; this singular act has virtually turned what should have been a Correctional Centre into places where new criminal gangs are formed.
“Confessions from recent arrested bank robbery gang members and the confession of the first armed robber to be publicly executed in this country corroborates this position, ‘first offenders learn from hardened criminals.’
“As a correctional Centre, infrastructure must be improved and provisions made for correctional facilities such as academics, skilled training and recreational facilities.
“The Senate accordingly urge Correctional Centres Services to adequately profile inmates and separate them accordingly, to avoid lumping of light/first offenders with hardened criminals and undertake a National Clean-Up and Fumigation of all correctional facilities in the country to avoid the outbreak of epidemic.
“We urge the Ministry of Interior to commence the process of upgrading facilities in our prisons to truly transform them into correctional centres.
“We urge the Judiciary, Ministry of Interior and Nigerian Prisons Services to work together and come up with a workable modality on how to fast track the process of decongesting the correctional centres.
“The committee on Interior, Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters must undertake a critical oversight on the state of our correctional centres and report back to the senate within 4 weeks,” he said.
While supporting the motion, Sen. Abba Moro (Benue South) pointed out that though the issue of congestion in Correctional Centres have defied solutions over time, holding those responsible is a step in the right direction.
“The story of congestion in our prison is an age-long one, it is one that virtually everyone is aware of, but quite frankly a problem that has defied all solutions.
“Mr President, as at today over 70 per cent of our prison inmates are awaiting trial and every effort that has been undertaken in the past and even by this present administration has not seemed to address the problem.
“I think for once we must by our legislative intervention make a very courageous attempt now to force the hands of those who are in charge to make sure that this problem is solved once and for all.
“The pitiable aspect of it is that most of our prisons are populated by minors and in most cases when you listen to the stories of the people who are in these prisons, Mr President they have no business being there at all.
“I rise to second this motion that urgent and appropriate steps be taken to attempt once and for all to decongest our prisons.
“Mr President, while the name of our prison services now have been changed to Correctional Service, Mr President, I can say it is only about a name because the institutions that are there, that are supposed to serve as correctional centres are not available here yet.
“I think Mr President that if we take a step further in constructing what is correctly called a correctional Centre to render correctional services, we would be helping the reintegration of these inmates into the society and they will not constitute danger into our society.
“So, Mr President, I support this motion and if properly handled, some of us are available to make our inputs to ensure that once and for all the problems of congestion in our prisons become a thing of the past,” he said.
