FG vows crackdown on prison abuse as probe indicts top correctional officers

The Federal Government on Tuesday declared a zero-tolerance stance on human rights violations within the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

It warned that officers found culpable, regardless of rank, will face strict disciplinary and legal consequences.

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, issued the warning in Abuja during a stakeholders’ engagement convened to present and validate the final report of the Independent Investigative Panel on alleged corruption and inhumane treatment in correctional centres nationwide.

The minister revealed that the probe, triggered by the 2024 controversy involving cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, has already led to sanctions against several senior officers, including the removal of a top-ranking Assistant Controller General found culpable.

He stressed that the era of overlooking misconduct within the system had ended.

“No matter who you are, you are not too big. If you are not too big to commit the crime, then you shouldn’t be too big to face the consequences,” Tunji-Ojo said.

According to him, a number of implicated officials are no longer in active service, as the government moves to enforce accountability across the correctional system.

Tunji-Ojo said the investigative panel, inaugurated in November 2024, was a deliberate step by the government to confront institutional failings rather than ignore them.

He underscored the philosophical shift behind the transition from the Nigerian Prisons Service to the Nigerian Correctional Service under the 2019 Act, noting that correctional facilities are meant to rehabilitate and reintegrate inmates, not merely detain them.

“A prison is a place of incarceration, but a correctional centre is a place of reformation, restoration, and reintegration,” he said, adding that inmates retain their fundamental human dignity regardless of their offences.

The minister also called for urgent collaboration between federal and state governments to relocate correctional facilities that have been overtaken by urban development.

He cited longstanding facilities such as those in Suleja (built in 1914) and Ikoyi (built in 1955), as well as centres in Enugu, Abakaliki, Ibadan, and Lagos, which are now situated in densely populated or inappropriate locations, including near markets and government buildings.

According to him, many of these facilities no longer meet global standards, particularly the requirement for a 100-metre buffer zone.

Tunji-Ojo noted that states must share responsibility in addressing the crisis, especially as about 90 per cent of inmates are state offenders, while roughly 67 per cent are awaiting trial.

To ease congestion, the minister urged state Attorneys-General to partner with the Federal Ministry of Justice in expanding non-custodial sentencing options, lamenting that such alternatives remain underutilised despite provisions in the 2019 law.

He described current efforts as “only scratching the surface,” warning that failure to act would continue to strain correctional infrastructure.

On inmate welfare, Tunji-Ojo disclosed that Bola Tinubu had approved a 50 per cent increase in feeding allowances for inmates, with disbursement already underway.

He called on civil society and the public to hold the NCoS accountable for improved conditions in light of the increased funding.

Also speaking, Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, warned that corruption within correctional facilities undermines the justice system.

He described the panel’s report as a bold and necessary step toward addressing systemic lapses and restoring integrity within the NCoS.

Earlier, Sylvester Nwakuche, Controller-General of Corrections, said the investigative panel was established as a demonstration of institutional accountability rather than condemnation.

He emphasised that inmates must be treated with dignity and adequately catered for, even as he acknowledged past misconduct by some officers.

“The majority of my officers serve with dedication. The misdeeds of a few must not overshadow the sacrifices of many,” he said.