Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, has disclosed his ministry’s initiative to decongest the Nigerian Correction Service (NCS) and further enhance national security through effective border management
Speaking to ARISE NEWS on Thursday, he revealed the government will pay the fines of more than 4,000 inmates, totalling over N500million in order to set them free.
Of the 79,000 prison inmates, the minister said, at least 4,000 are still incarcerated due to their inability to pay judgment fines. The initiative is aimed primarily at alleviating the overcrowding in Nigeria’s correctional facilities.
He cited the example of Lagos State where the prison facility was built for 4,800 persons but now houses over 9,000 inmates – a 100% overpopulation.
To tackle the prison congestion issue more comprehensively, however, Tunji Ojo called for collaboration between his ministry and other related MDA’s particularly the Justice Ministry.
He said he is also looking at taking advantage of the Administration of Criminal Justice System (ACJS) to activate the non-custodial services within the correctional system as a short-term solution to the problem.
Non-custodial services is where other forms of punishment for criminal offences such as discharges, fines and community orders are preferred over physical detainment.
The Minister expects these measures could reduce correctional center congestion across the country by 60% to 70%.
Improved border control
The Interior Minister also stressed the importance of securing Nigeria’s borders, stating, “If you can’t protect your borders, you can’t protect your country.”
To enhance border security he is coordinating with relevant agencies like NIMC, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, and the Boundary Commission. This collaboration will blend human intelligence with advanced technology to safeguard the nation’s borders, gain the support of border communities and make Nigeria safer.
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