Prevailing conditions in the nation’s custodial centres has once again come to the fore of national discourse as both the government and stakeholders beam a searchlight into the welfare of inmates in a custodial centre in Calabar.
A group, Prisoners Right Advocacy Initiative, PRAI, has called for a probe into the poor feeding of inmates in custodial centres across the country.
PRAI’s said the probe should not be limited to the Calabar Custodial Centre, into which the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered an investigation following monumental rot in the centre.
The interior minister recently ordered an investigation into the feeding conditions of inmates at the Afokang Custodial Centre in Calabar.
The order by the minister followed a viral video alleging that inmates at the custodial centre were being subjected to inhumane treatment, including being served poorly cooked beans as breakfast.
It was learnt the Minister vowed that should the allegations be true, no one found culpable would be spared.
PRAI founder, Adetola-Kazeem, said the poor feeding of prison inmates was widespread and was not limited to Calabar.
“What has happened in Calabar prison is not strange. In fact, many of the inmates, particularly those who have support from their families, do not even feed from the prison’s kitchen and that is because of the deplorable state and the low quality of the food that is served.
We see the reported case of the Calabar Custodial Centre as a mere tip of the iceberg as the reports of poor conditions in centres across the country are replete.
We learnt the Minister has directed a comprehensive and urgent investigation into this matter, stressing that those responsible will not be spared.
The Minister, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo also warned that any lapses in the quality of food, sanitation, and welfare of inmates would not be tolerated.
He added that the service must ensure inmates are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
“The Minister of Interior will not condone any form of mistreatment or neglect of individuals in custody,” the statement said, adding that the findings of the investigation would be made public, and necessary disciplinary actions would be taken”, an aide noted.
We commend the Minister for his prompt response to the Calabar scenario as it is necessary to do a holistic overhaul of the conditions in the centres across the country to conform to the minimum standards acceptable by international protocol.
AljazirahNIGERIA further enjoins the Federal Government to take the matter beyond welfare conditions in the centres. This should necessarily be open enough to capture budgetary allocations for general upkeep of the centres across the country and determine if such actually got disbursed accordingly.
Indeed another angle to it is the inflationary trend in the country. It is therefore necessary to check if the allocations have been taken over by the circumstance where rations can no longer be adequate as envisaged. In essence, if the allocations fall short of current reality, then there is a need for adjustment.
We urge the government to do a general stocktaking of our custodial centres to ascertain how habitable they are for inmates who deserve no less treatment than the ‘free citizen’ on the street.
On a salutary note, we applaud the Minister and stakeholders who reportedly facilitated the release of 4,068 inmates who were incarcerated in custodial centres for their inability to pay off fines handed to them as punitive measures by the courts, across the country. This move at decongesting the centres would further improve the condition of inmates.
