Prison decongestion: 4,068 inmates set free on fines option worth N585 million

Prison decongestion: 4,068 inmates set free on fines option worth N585 million

As part of continuing effort to decongest custodial centers across the country and make them humane for proper reformation and rehabilitation, a total of 4, 068 inmates on option of fines worth N585 million have been set free.

Minister of interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said that the inmates freed were those held on account of their inability to pay their fines as penalties for their crimes can now regained their freedom following payment of their fines by the minister and other corporate bodies.

He made this known at an event flagging off the payment of the fines and empowerment beneficiaries at the Kuje Medium Custodial Center, yesterday in Abuja.

He said “The sum of five hundred and eighty-five million Naira only, (N585,000,000.00), was raised by philanthropic individuals, groups and corporate bodies, as part of their corporate social responsibility, for this purpose.

“Today, we flag off the release of a total of 4,068 inmates who are serving different terms of imprisonment in lieu of fines and/or compensation. Most of the benefitting inmates at the verge of their freedom are indigents who cannot afford to pay their fines, and are languishing in custody.

“As at Friday, the 17th day of November, 2023, there were about 80,804 inmates in 253 custodial facilities nationwide, the total installed capacity for the 253 Custodial Centres adds up to less than 50,000.

“This shows that our Custodial facilities are over-crowded; necessitating this initiative we are flagging off which is targeted towards addressing the overcrowding conundrum bedevilling our Custodial Centres and their reformatory function.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo adds that “Hence, all inmates in Custodial Centres who have fines and/or compensation not exceeding one million Naira only (N1,000,000.00), are qualified, and would benefit from this gesture. In addition, we are also providing each of them a stipend to enable them return to their communities.

“Suffice it to mention at this point that we are not just releasing them to their fates; we have given them requisite training aimed at impacting their lives functionally and equipping them with the knowledge for their self-reliance upon discharge. The training also covers their civic duties and responsibilities as citizens, and strategies of refraining from reoffending.”

The minister urged the public not to stigmatized the ex-convicts in order to make their reintegration process easier and prevent cases of recidivism.

“We all have a stake in ensuring that offenders are properly reformed, rehabilitated and reintegrated back to their communities. By so doing, we will be promoting public safety and by extension, national security. It behoves on all of us therefore to ensure that we support offenders’ reformatory process.

“I also use this opportunity to call on the larger community to receive these returning citizens with open arms. They should refrain from stigmatizing against them as it can drive them back to offending the law, which will further endanger the society.

To the benefitting inmates, I implore you to see this as a second chance to make things right again. You are therefore advised to stay off crime and criminality, and all join hands with our father, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, to make Nigeria a great nation.

Founder and Executive Director, Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action, (PRAWA), Dr. Uju Agomoh, noted that as member of the decongestion committee, the initiative aligns with the mission, visions and objectives of PRAWA.

Represented by the Deputy Director, PRAWA, Ogechi Ogu, she said “I want to commend the honourable minister for taking the appropriate step to communicate to the whole world our humanity, showing the milk of human kindness and setting the pace for the much awaited reform in the criminal justice system.

“What this simply means is that it is expected that all the other agencies of the criminal justice system should take clue from the ministry of interior and do the needful.”

Speaking at the event, Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, (NCoS), Haliru Nababa, said the agency is strongly committed to the welfare of the inmates.

“We have within available resources, continued to provide logistics to facilitate inmates’ access to justice, by ensuring that Awaiting Trial Persons, (ATPs), are conveyed to court, as and when due.

“Our Correctional Information Management System (CIMS) has also been handy in keeping track of inmates with pending cases, taking note of specific details, unique to each of them. At the moment, CIMS has been deployed to over 120 Custodial Centres, across the federation, with great prospects of expansion.”

Commending the minister’s stride towards decongesting prison facilities, he “Your pragmatic leadership, has set a very laudable pace for individuals, corporate entities and other stakeholders to take after.

“Overcrowding in most of our Custodial Centres, especially those in metropolitan areas has been a perennial challenge to the Service. The payment of fine/compensation for indigent inmates with such options, is not only philanthropic but strategic in reducing the number of persons in custody.”

One of 37 inmates at the Kuje Medium Custodial Center who benefited from the initiative, Mr. Mike Audi, a skilled plumber, said they will remain ever grateful to the government for helping pay their fines.

He said “We have never lost hope, we believe that one day we will be free and the minister help us with something we will never forget. We are so happy and we want the government to continue to embrace us and support”