Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has raised alarm over
the condition of the Port-Harcourt Prison in Rivers state.
He lamented that the facility originally designed to
conveniently take 800 prisoners, currently has inmates of almost 5000.
Osinbajo said this in a public presentation of three volumes
of prison survey report (PSR) put together by the Nigerian Prison Service (NPS)
and the Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA).
The VP, represented at the occasion by the Minister of
Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (rtd), said that the situation
calls for concern.
He regretted that Nigeria Prisons were neglected by
successive governments.
Osinbajo noted that some 3700 inmates that have been in the
Porth-Harcourt prison for over five years were still awaiting trial.
In his remarks, Dambazau disclosed that President Muhammadu
Buhari has approved the construction of 3000 capacity prison in each of the six
geopolitical zones.
The minister added that the administration has also procured
vehicles to convey inmates from prisons to courts across the country.
He, however, appealed to state governments to give full
support to the federal government in the Administration of the Prison Act.
The Minister further appealed to courts to avoid incessant
adjournment of criminal cases so as to get prisons decongested in due course.
He said: “I was in Port-Harcourt and I used my stay there to
visit Port-Harcourt Prison built in 1918 by our colonial master.
“What I saw was gory because the prison has no rooms but
just serving as warehouse for the over 5000 inmates accommodated in it instead
of 800 inmates designed as capacity.
“From my finding, they say no room for prisoners and any
human being that goes there would come back as animal.
“My finding also reveals that prisons have been neglected
over the years by the successive administration at the expense of the inmates.
“It is however a thing of joy that President Muhammadu
Buhari has shown keen interest in prison reforms and had carried out tremendous
progress on prison rehabilitation even though funds are not there.”
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ReplyDeleteour dear vice president, the air pollution in rivers state will destroy all life living within the state. please, endeavour to raise alarm over this issue also, because everybody will die. both inmates and prison guards and the civilians within the state.
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