The Senate has expressed disappointment over perceived poor services rendered to inmates at the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) facilities nationwide.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomole told a delegation of the NCoS led by the Comptroller General, Haliru Nababa, that inmates were being mistreated by the service.
Senator Oshoimole said this at the 2024 budget defence organised by the Joint Committee on Interior.
“Your name has been changed from prison to correctional, but you are dehumanising. It’s not just your fault because the government appropriates little money for you but it is either that you don’t feed these prisoners or you feed them only once and even at that, very miserable food.
This is why they have completely emaciated, and some can never live a decent life again even when they did not commit an offence. You all know the prices of these food items in the market, so how can you look us eye to eye and tell us that you feed a man in Nigeria awaiting trial or even committed an offence with N750 a day, how much is a bottle of water,” he said.
Senator Oshiomole said that the committee would not be in a hurry to approve any budget of the agency until they receive satisfactory answers.
He requested for a breakdown of the number of inmates and security dogs they have currently and how they are fed on a daily basis.
“I would like to see a breakdown of how you feed these inmates. If you say you feed inmates 3 times a day with N250 each. How many dogs do you have and how much does it cost to feed them daily?” Senator Oshiomole asked.
Responding, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, said “We have 81,358 inmates of which 53,362 are awaiting trial. We feed each inmate with N750 daily and they are fed 3 times daily (N250 for each square meal). We have 900 security dogs and to feed a dog each day is N800 daily.”
Sen. Ireti Kingibe (LP, FCT) asked the Comptroller General, “How many doctors and veterinary doctors do you have taking care of these inmates and dogs.”
Nababa replied that the organisation has 75 Medical doctors and consultants, six veterinary doctors who cover Lagos, Kaduna, Owerri and some of them cover more than one state and they move from place to place, “The veterinary doctors have different nurses under them.”
The Comptroller General however, asked the lawmakers for support as the agency had already requested an increase in the feeding amounts for the inmates.
“We wrote a letter to the President to review 3,000 per day for each inmate. We want this committee to assist us in putting in words for us.”
Lawmakers present at the joint sitting were, Rep. Adebayo Balogun (APC, Lagos), Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North), Senator Francis Fadahunsi (PDP, Osun East), Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP, Kebbi North), Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi (LP, Imo East), Senator Ireti Kingibe (LP, FCT) among others.