Worried by the lack of space at custodial centres across the country, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has called on State governors to sign death warrant for execution of condemned inmates.
He revealed that there were 3,008 condemned inmates across custodial centres, buttressing that space was the major headache of custodial facilities.
The Minister who was the former governor of Osun State in the South west Nigeria spoke while commissioning a newly built headquarters of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS in Osogbo on Friday.
He said there was need to decongest the prison to pave way for others.
Aregbesola also disclosed that the entire national custodial facilities with a maximum capacity for 57,278 inmates currently has a total population of 68,747 inmates, made up of 67,422 males and 1,325 females.
The Minister said 50,992 inmates representing 74 per cent of the total population of inmates in the nation’s custodial centres are awaiting trial, while only 17,755 inmates which is a mere 26 per cent are the actual convicts.
“There are presently 3,008 condemned criminals waiting for their date with the executioners in our meagre custodial facilities. This consists of 2,952 males and 56 females.
“In cases where an appeal has been exhausted and the convicts are not mounting any challenge to their conviction, the state should go ahead, to do the needful and bring closure to their cases.”
Aregbesola noted that state Governors have an alternation of setting some of the condemned inmates free on compassionate ground, especially those who have grown old on account of the long time they have been in custody and those that are terminally ill.
He said a the 3,000 high capacity custodial centres would be built in the six geopolitical zones of the country.
