The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Justice to ensure quick dispensation of justice, as well as enhance the process of meeting bail conditions as a way to decongestion of the nation’s correctional centres.
The House also in its resolution Wednesday urged security agencies to avoid arbitrary arrests, devise and promote effective reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of inmates to utilise its prerogative of mercy to grant amnesty to deserving persons.
This was fallout of a motion by Hon. Chinedu Ogah, who noted that the Nigerian Correctional Service, a federal entity under the Ministry of Interior, is a part of the criminal Justice System under Exclusive list.
He said the Nigerian prisons outline were mandated to reform, rehabilitate, and ensure effective reintegration of offenders into society in line with universally accepted standards, adding that over 70,000 inmates in the country face inadequate facilities despite government’s efforts, and some have not been charged with criminal cases, while some are unable to pay the fines imposed by the courts.
“The Nigerian criminal justice system is plagued by flaws, with cases often lingering without resolution for years, thus overcrowding the correctional centers in various geopolitical zones”, he said.
He added that: “Overcrowding of the correctional facilities has led to a huge revenue drain for successive governments, leading to prison dilapidation, criminalisation, and inability to separate awaiting trial inmates from convicted ones.”
