The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has called on the Rivers State Government to drop the N3,849,000 fines owed by 22 inmates in the maximum security correctional centre in Port Harcourt. The move would enable the inmates to regain their freedom. Aregbesola made this call during the inauguration of a 20-bed-capacity COVID-19 crisis intervention fund hospital at the custodial centre in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
In his address, the minister stated that the Nigerian Correctional Service is an essential part of the criminal justice system and must be given the necessary attention to keep the county on the path of progress. Aregbesola acknowledged that the custodial centre in Port Harcourt was established to house 1,800 inmates, yet as of Wednesday (May 10, 2023), it had 3,100 inmates.
Aregbesola also reminded the public that he directed the Nigerian Correctional Service, last year around September, to send him the details of people who are under their care for failing to pay their fines or other financial obligations not more than a million naira. The service delivered about five thousand names of persons who were in this category nationwide, including those who were in debt. Of this figure, about 22 inmates in the facility in Port Harcourt owed the state government N3,849,000 in fines.
According to Aregbesola, feeding these inmates has already cost more than the fines they owe Rivers State. He, therefore, appealed to the Rivers State Government to drop their fines so that they may regain their freedom.
Furthermore, the minister proposed the establishment of courts within correctional centres, stating that they would enable the rapid trial and conclusion of cases, as well as prevent the unnecessary transportation of inmates to and from courts. He even suggested the use of virtual/zoom technology to try inmates within their cells.
This latest appeal by the Federal Government falls in line with ongoing efforts to decongest correctional facilities nationwide. In January 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari instructed governors to grant amnesty to inmates who had spent ten years and above in prison and were yet to be tried. One can only hope that actions like these will help decongest correctional centres while also providing some relief to the inmates and their families.
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