The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed how his ministry saved the country three billion naira (N3bn) in a year by decongesting the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) centers.
Tunji-Ojo disclosed this on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at the launch of the “Report on the National Assessment of the Situation of Children and Young Adults Deprived of Liberty in Nigeria” held in Abuja.
He explained that on assumption of duty, he realised 10 percent of the 82,000 persons in correctional custody still had years to be in custody for inability to pay fines as small as N10,000 and N20,000.
“We feed an inmate, as at then with N750. It means in a month you spend about 22,500, so in a year, N750 multiplied by 365 will feed an inmate with over 300,000, keeping him for an offense of N10,000.
“So you have to weigh the options and that led us into talking to the private sector, as a matter of Corporate Social Responsibility and the whole money was just about N500 million.
“We raised the money through the private sector, paid off compensations, and we were able to decongest the correctional centers by 10 per cent.
“Doing that alone, we saved government of feeding fund of about three billion Naira a year”, he said
The Minister suggested that the saved sum could be used to enhance the rehabilitation process of inmates.
He further stated that he was not comfortable with the state of the service and assured that reforms were underway:
“A prison is a place of incarceration. A correctional center is a place of reformation, transformation, and rehabilitation.
“What is the difference as of today between NCOS and the Nigerian Prison Service of year 2000? “Change of name, still the same attitude, but I tell you, we will reform it”, Tunji-Ojo said.
On the issue of incarcerating children in correctional centers, the minister said the “minor mistake of a minor should not become a major setback for them”.
He maintained that hope was not just on the way but had come for Nigerian children to start seeing the government as a support system.
On her part, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria Country Representative, Cristian Munduate
opined that child rights were human rights.
Represented by the Deputy Country Representative, Dr. Rownak Khan, she said that safeguarding these rights, especially by preventing the pre-trial detention of children was not only a constitutional duty but also vital to ensuring that every child could thrive and reach their full potential.
“However, this report reveals that many children are still denied these basic rights. The data shows that pre-trial detention is prevalent, with 68 per cent of children lacking legal representation, and limited access to community-based diversion programmes.”
Munduate said that the significant rates of child detention, particularly pre-trial detention, underscored the urgent need for reforms in the child justice system.
“UNICEF calls on governments to invest in child justice reforms that prioritise diversion and community reintegration programmes over detention.
“By prioritising child justice and implementing age-appropriate services, diversion, and community-based rehabilitation programmes, Nigeria can safeguard the future generation and mitigate risks associated with children’s involvement in crimes and conflict situations.”
Meanwhile, the Chief of Child Protection, Mr. Ibrahim Sisse said that ending detention of children was not just an aspiration, but an obligation for all.
Sisse who was represented by the Child Protection Manager of UNICEF, Mona Aika, said that detention of children was harmful and the negative impacts were undeniable.
“It subjects them to emotional, physical and psychological harm and deprives them of the opportunities for education and personal growth.
“Moreover, the detention services leave long-lasting scars that extend into adulthood, often increasing the likelihood of re-offending rather than fostering rehabilitation.
“Detaining children has been shown to be highly detrimental, their development and well-being particularly, with long-term harm that extends beyond their life and time in custody.
“Evidence demonstrates that it’s not only ineffective in preventing crime, but it also hinders children’s successful reintegration into society”, he said.
He therefore called for the prioritisation of prevention and early intervention and for a law and policy reform to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years.
