Fed Govt Spends N8.4b Yearly To Feed 51,614 Pre-trial Inmates • Experts proffer solutions to prison congestion
The
Federal Government spends an average of N8.4 billion yearly to feed
awaiting trial inmates and persons in juvenile institutions. The figure
excludes 23,217 inmates already convicted and serving various prison
terms and 2,251 condemned inmates among whom are 47 females.Daily
feeding allowance for each inmate in Nigeria is N450. Multiplied by 30
days, the figure amounts to N13,500 per person. If the population of
convicted inmates was added to the figure, it would amount to
N3,761,154,000 yearly, totaling N12, 161,154,000 billion for the
detainees yearly.
The population of inmates in prisons across the
country is put at 75,685. Of this number, 50,760 are awaiting trial,
while 854 others, juveniles, are in borstal institutions. This brings
the number to 51,614 pre-trial inmates, excluding those in detention
facilities of the police, the Department of State Security (DSS), the
military and other security agencies, whose feeding costs are not on
record.
Ghana and South Africa spend ¢4000 (N320, 000) and R
52.42 (N1,328) to feed an inmate daily, an indication that the
population on inmates in Nigeria creates a deep hole in government’s
pocket.A retired Controller of Prisons, Dr. Ifediorah Orakwe, disclosed
that the actual amount per inmate is N300. He said a breakdown of the
N450 allowance would show that N150 was for cooking logistics while N300
was the real cost of feeding an inmate.
Some experts however
noted that the amount that meets the United Nations Standard Minimum
Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners 2015 (the Nelson Mandela Rules) is
N1,500 per inmate daily. If this is adopted, government will spend N27.9
billion to feed pre-trial inmates yearly.
The spokesman of the
Nigerian Prison Service, Mr. Francis Enobore, noted that the population
of inmates fluctuated as suspects came and went. He expressed worry over
the continued detention of persons awaiting trial and the resultant
strain on facilities. Some analysts who spoke with The Guardian said
urgent moves had to be taken to reduce the number of pre-trial inmates.
Director/founder,
Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), Dr. Uju Agomoh,
blamed the growing number of awaiting trial inmates on arbitrary arrests
and detention by security agencies, calling for an effective
coordination among institutions involved in the criminal justice system.
“There
must be clear processes, to monitor and track every case. There is need
for accountability. There should also be a process of inter-agency
coordination. The institutions have to talk to one another,” she said,
regretting that a lot of people in detention didn’t have access to legal
representation.
Agomoh urged the Nigeria Bar Association
(NBA) and the Legal Aid Council (LAC) to look into cases of inmates who
lack proper legal representation, with a view to freeing those who do
not deserve to be detained. Director, Access to Justice (A2J), Mr.
Joseph Otteh, said: “Decongesting prisons will require effective reform
of the criminal justice process, beginning with the point at which many
people come in contact with the justice system.
“Arbitrary
arrests and whimsical prosecutions will need to be reduced to a minimum.
Many poor and vulnerable people are whimsically put through the
criminal justice process because some influential people want them to
be. And we have seen quite a few cases where these influential people
are police or military officers who squabble about girlfriends with
their victims.”
Otteh said the courts contribute significantly to
the problem. According to him, delays in trials and failure to reform
the bail system means many persons awaiting trial are locked up in
penitentiary institutions while trials stretch endlessly.
“Some
trials for simple offences can run for six, seven or 10 years. If we are
able to reform our trial system and ensure that only people who have a
legitimate reason to endure a criminal prosecution are processed through
that system, we could significantly cut down the population of our
prisons,” said Otteh.
The national coordinator of Legal Defence
Assistance Project (LEDAP), Mr. Chino Obiagwu, said the problem has
persisted because those saddled with managing the criminal justice
system are not following the law guiding detention.
“The
prosecutors in the Ministry of Justice, prosecutors in the courts, the
judges and even the lawyers that defend them, nobody does his job,
otherwise, there is no reason a law is made and it is not complied with.
“We
are not ready to enforce the laws because people who are involved in
pre-trial detention are the poor. That is why they are neglected. If
rich people were affected, they would do something about it,” he said.
He
noted that if states rather than the Federal Government were involved
in funding prisons, they would have a rethink. “The law permits prison
authorities to reject awaiting trial suspects because they are not
prisoners. Those that are awaiting trial are supposed to have their own
remand system. So, it is an aberration. If you free them, there would be
enough space for those who are convicted,” Obiagwu added.
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