Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed that nearly two-thirds of inmates in correctional facilities across Nigeria are still awaiting trial.
Speaking on Politics Today, a programme aired on Channels Television on Thursday, Tunji-Ojo emphasised the need for stronger collaboration between federal and state governments to improve the correctional system.
READ ALSO: 16 inmates escape after violent breach at Keffi custodial centre
“We can work out a synergy, you know, states that want to have their own correctional centers, by law, they’re entitled to have it and federal too, but we must also understand that about 72 per cent of our inmates are state offenders and about 67 per cent or so are waiting trials,” Tunji-Ojo said on the current affairs show.
He stressed that although the majority of inmates are state offenders, the Federal Government currently bears the responsibility of housing them.
“So it means two-thirds are state offenders, but the Federal Government is the one taking responsibility now. I don’t like to shift blame. As Mr. President will always say, ‘We were elected to produce results, not to make excuses.’
“So we’re not here to make excuses, but as a government, we will interface with our governors. We will come together to be able to have a shared strategy towards solving these correctional problems,” he stated.
In July, the minister revealed that the Federal Government had freed 4,550 inmates in an effort to decongest facilities. Those released were individuals held for minor, bailable offences or had served extended periods without trial.
According to Tunji-Ojo, President Bola Tinubu’s administration remains committed to overhauling correctional centres despite the state they were in when the President assumed office in 2023.
“But I need to put it on record that this particular administration has done a lot in the last two years in terms of putting resources and trying to make sure that we fix our correctional centres,” he said.
His remarks came shortly after 16 inmates escaped from the Keffi custodial centre in Nasarawa State, following an attack on security operatives. Some of the escapees were later recaptured.
