The Federal Government has launched an audit of inmates across Nigeria’s 256 custodial centers, aiming to decongest overcrowded facilities, according to Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
A statement from the Minister’s Media Assistant, Alao Babatunde, announced the initiative following Tunji-Ojo’s inspection of the ongoing 3,000-capacity Maximum Security Custodial Centre in Janguza, Kano State, and the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, Abuja.
Similar audits have been conducted in correctional centers nationwide in the past.
During the facility inspection, Tunji-Ojo emphasized the importance of a data-driven approach. “The audit is ongoing, and it’s clear that our prior facility audit has informed our current interventions. We are using empirical and scientific methods to identify and address the root causes of congestion,” he stated.
He highlighted that the audit would significantly decongest the prisons. “Our audit system is empirical and scientific, leading to substantial decongestion of our custodial centers. Understanding the status through data is crucial; data is the new oil and the lifeblood of this millennium. Once the audit is complete, the decongestion will be evident,” Tunji-Ojo added.
At the Kuje facility, the minister received a gift of three books authored by an inmate who has been at the correctional center for 12 years.
