Over 4,000 prisoners are being kept in detention facilities around the nation, according to Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, because they are unable to pay penalties that have been imposed on them by magistrates and courts.
He expressed his regret that more than 70% of the people housed in the country’s detention facilities are awaiting trial at this time.
He pointed out that if non-custodial alternatives as outlined in the Correctional Service Act are investigated, the percentage of prisoners housed in correctional facilities will drop to 40%.
The minister spoke when European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi, paid him a visit in his Abuja office, according to a statement released on Saturday by the minister’s media adviser, Alao Babatunde.
More than 70% of the 79,000 prisoners are awaiting trial, according to portion of the text.
“Because they were unable to pay various fines, nearly 4,000 convicts are currently housed in our prisons. If we investigate non-custodial alternatives as allowed by the Correctional Service Act, we think we can cut the number of prisoners in our correctional facilities by roughly forty percent.
According to the minister, the EU may help the nation implement technologies to improve and stabilize its internal border management infrastructure.
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“European Union is important to Nigeria’s socio-economic development,” he declared. He stated, “Bilateral support is just one aspect of our historic connection with the EU.
Africa will benefit if we can resolve Nigeria’s issues with crime and migration. Our challenges are more of an EU problem than any other region of the world because of the borders that Africa shares with the EU. Because we’re dedicated to finding a solution, we’ll investigate every possibility.
The minister pleaded with the EU to back the Federal Government’s proposal to audit every penal facility.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the Ministry was working on significant changes, particularly in the areas of knowledge transfer and travel documentation procedures.
He went on, “We have started the process to remove the obstacles from our international passport application and retrieval procedure. We have come a long way today. Additionally, we are focusing on methods to lessen identity theft. Our goal is for the green passport to reclaim its honor and purity.
The minister had earlier received assurances from the ambassador regarding the help of the European Union, which included technical assistance in handling the illicit aspect of migration and reducing human trafficking and people smuggling.
