The recently approved relocation of 29 custodial centres by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is reflective of the federal government’s vision to not only reform the country’s penitentiary system, but also create an enabling environment for the construction of new centres to be equipped with modern facilities. Though the relocation of 29 out of the county’s 256 custodial centres may be seen as insignificant, the exercise marks a milestone in the resolve by the government to embark on remedial measures in strengthening the reformatory agency.
The president’s approval for the relocation of the custodial centres was made known by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, when he commissioned 39 mini Green Maria for the transportation of inmates to and from the courts. The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) was also provided five bullet resistant guard booths at its Abuja national headquarters in a bid to improve the service delivery of personnel.
The relocation of the centres is coming at a time when there’s a consensus for the transformation of the NCoS to truly serve the purpose it was intended for, especially in the area of providing modern infrastructure for the reformation of inmates. A peep into most of the centres shows that they are not equipped with facilities to transform the lives of inmates, especially in the area of acquiring skills that would make them possess the wherewithal to survive the challenges of the modern world.
Commending the establishment of the NCoS as crucial and fundamental for the reformation of citizens, the minister called on Nigerians to embrace paramilitary jobs as worthy careers and not poverty alleviation schemes that Nigerian youths should aspire to get. Tunde-Ojo said: “In terms of relocation of our correctional centres, the president has graciously approved for us to start the process of relocating about 29 or so of our correctional centres. We have started and we are going to finish it. I have also insisted that paramilitary jobs are not poverty alleviation schemes. This is why the president has graciously approved the paramilitary academy just the way we have the police academy and the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA). The goal is to catch them young. The academy is a degree-awarding institution”.
That many of the custodial centres have suffered neglect is a clear pointer that Nigeria’s prison system needs a total overhaul in order to realise the target for their establishment. Some of these centres that were built over 100 years ago are almost bursting with an increasing number of inmates which the present facilities can’t accommodate. In some cases, facilities are overstretched and cannot even meet the basic needs required in the reformation of the inmates. In some places, custodial facilities are either sharing perimeter fencing or facing the gate of the state Government House. In some other instances, some of these centres now find themselves in urban centres, with no option to expand facilities. More worrisome, there are many challenges associated with logistics as vehicles are not available for the correctional service to perform its mandates. The dilemma of the NCoS is best captured by the Acting Comptroller General of Corrections (CGC), Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, who decried that only 39 operational vehicles are available for the transportation of inmates to and from courts.
There’s no denying the fact that operational trials are some of the challenges militating against the efficiency of the custodial agency as these problems are at the heart of the factors militating against the Service. Apart from providing these equipment with relevant tools in the performance of their duties, efforts should be deployed to manage the reformatory agency in line with best global practices. For inmates to be reformed and adequately prepared for life outside the prison wall, they need a mental reset and new knowledge acquired within a conducive environment in order to resist being lured back to the old path of crimes and law-breaking.
We call on President Tinubu to not only relocate other centres that would make possible for the expansion of infrastructure, but also create a conducive environment for learning and acquiring skills to survive the problems of modern living. More importantly, the government should embark on measures directed at guaranteeing speedy dispensation of justice by collaborating with lawmakers in eliminating obstacles in the wheel of justice. Available records as at Monday, February 17, 2025, indicate that out of the 80,066 total number of inmates in the country, only 26,841 (34%) are convicted inmates, while 53,225 (66%) are pretrial inmates.
While Blueprint commends President Tinubu for demonstrating a commitment to transform the custodial service, the federal government is encouraged to go a step further in reforming the agency by relocating many of its centres to provide an enabling environment in the acquisition of skills and learning to fully prepare them for life outside the custodial centres.