The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has disclosed that the federal government spends N1 million annually on each inmate in correctional facilities across the country. The Media Adviser to the Minister, Sola Fasure, revealed that Aregbesola made this statement on Saturday, May 13th, during the inauguration of a 20-bed COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund Hospital and Equipment at the Maximum Security Custodial Centre in Port Harcourt.
In addition, the Minister noted that the Buhari-led administration has significantly addressed the issue of inmates contracting diseases in custodial centres, which were previously known for scabies, tuberculosis, and other diseases. According to Aregbesola, the government has provided well-manned clinics, well-stocked pharmacies, and access to excellent medical care beyond the centres.
He went on to state that the Port Harcourt Maximum Security Custodial Centre, which has a capacity for 1,800 inmates, currently houses about 3,067 inmates, highlighting the issue of congestion in urban custodial centres. The Minister acknowledged that the facilities and personnel are overstretched but assured the public that the government is providing long-term solutions to this challenge.
One of such solutions is the construction of mega 3,000-capacity custodial villages in six geo-political zones of the country. The one for the South-South is in Bori, Rivers State, which is close to the Port Harcourt centre. Furthermore, the ones for the North-West in Janguza, Kano, and the North-Central in Karshi, Abuja, are already constructed, and work is progressing steadily in the others and has reached an appreciable level.
Finally, Aregbesola reiterated that the Federal Government will stop feeding inmates incarcerated for breaching state laws and called on the states to include feeding costs in their budgets for next year.