By Francis Wilfred
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring speedy trials for inmates awaiting trial and to decongest correctional centres across the country.
The minister disclosed this on Wednesday during an unscheduled inspection visit to the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, Abuja, where he emphasized the need for urgent reforms to address the prolonged detention of inmates without trial.
Tunji-Ojo said the Ministry of Interior was working closely with the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to shorten the time frame for conviction and justice delivery.
“We are working together, looking at inmates who have spent more time awaiting trial than they would have spent if convicted,” the minister said.
“In this facility alone, over 200 inmates are convicted, while about 804 are awaiting trial. We have to be innovative and design a methodology to address this imbalance.”
He assured that Nigerians would begin to witness a drastic reduction in the number of awaiting trial inmates in the coming weeks and months.
“I want to assure you that we are working very closely with the AGF on ways to decongest our correctional centres,” Tunji-Ojo stated.
The minister acknowledged that the challenge extends beyond Kuje, stressing that more work was needed across Nigeria’s 240 correctional centres.
He said the ministry would embark on scheduled inspection visits to other facilities outside the Federal Capital Territory to assess their conditions and ensure proper intervention from relevant stakeholders, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
“We will see things for ourselves so that both the ministry, the NBA, and other stakeholders will know the right way to intervene,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo also commended the Nigerian Correctional Service personnel for their dedication and commitment to ensuring the welfare and reformation of inmates despite operational challenges.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe (SAN), who was part of the inspection team, expressed the association’s readiness to collaborate with the government in achieving faster justice delivery.
Osigwe revealed that the NBA had requested comprehensive data of inmates awaiting trial to identify those without active cases or those who had already served terms longer than the maximum sentence for their alleged offences.
“This will help the NBA set up new legal aid units and assign lawyers to move for their release,” he said.
“For persons who may have spent longer than they would if convicted, we will work with the relevant authorities to secure their freedom.”
The minister’s visit marks part of a broader justice sector reform initiative aimed at restoring efficiency, upholding human rights, and strengthening the correctional system’s rehabilitative function.
Experts say the collaboration between the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, and NBA could lead to the most significant prison decongestion effort in Nigeria’s recent history.
