Aregbesola seeks mass prison decongestion

Rauf Aregbesola, the minister of interior, says he would be collaborating with state governors for a planned mass decongestion of prisons in the country.

The minister said this while appearing on a News Agency of Nigeria Forum, held in Abuja.

Seventy per cent of the 75,635 prison inmates in Nigeria, he said, are on awaiting trial and majority of whom are held for contravening state laws.

“I have written the Nigerian Governors Forum to allow me to come and address them on how they can support the process of decongestion.

“Because the governors must buy into this system for us to do a massive decongestion especially of Awaiting Trial Inmates.

“If we get the buy in of state judicial authorities and the government of the states, we can pull out 30 per cent of those who are there.”

According to him, some of the awaiting trial inmates have stayed longer than the punishment provided by law for the crime they were arrested for.

“If you look at a man that is caught for petty theft and you are trying him for three years, even if you convict him for that crime, how long will he stay?

“How long will that fellow stay, probably six months, but without trial he will be there for three years.

“Again, you arrested a boy under the bridge, there is no fixed crime and he is there forever and so on and so forth.

“So, we need the buying in and support from state governments.

“This is for them to critically know the situation and let them set up committees that will profile all those who are there.

“And help either to convict, release them or see if they have overstayed their required time,” the minister said.

Source: NAN