President Muhammadu
Buhari has approved the decongestion of Correctional Service formations due to
coronavirus.
Attorney-General of
the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, stated that the
President was concerned that around seventy percent of the inmates were
awaiting trial.
Umar Jibrilu,
Malami’s spokesman, in a statement Friday night, recalled that Buhari had
constituted a Presidential Committee for the Decongestion of the Correctional
Centers.
The Committee,
coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Justice, has Malami as Chairman.
Members are Chief
Justice of the FCT and the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Correctional
Service.
The committee
recommended that Courts, Federal Ministry of Justice, the Correctional Servicef
formations Governors, Attorney-Generals of States, intensify actions to reduce
inmates amid the health challenges associated with Covid-19.
“The Committee
requested that Mr. President may wish to consider his powers of Prerogative of
Mercy in speeding of decongestion, while Governors of States and their CJs be
encouraged to visit correctional service formations for the purpose of
decongestion”, it read.
“The Committee is of
the view that the Federal Executive Council and the State Governments be
encouraged to consider payment of fines in respect of minor offences for those
categories of inmates that could not afford paying of same in respect of
offences that attract fines arising from the convictions.”
Part of the
resolutions were also that Correctional Service should consider the possibility
of moving inmates from congested Correctional Service Formations to centres
that are less congested and have space for accommodation of inmates, among
others.
It also recommended
the amendment of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to
legalise moving the Correctional Service formations from Exclusive to
Concurrent Legislative List.
The statement
revealed that categories of inmates that will be considered are those that
stayed in Correctional Service Centres for a period above ten years and those
that stayed as inmate for a longer period without any documentation relating to
their detention.
“Others are those that
have the option of fine, those that have been in the Centers on holding charges
in respect of offences that the Magistrate that sent them to Correctional
Service Formations do not have the jurisdiction to try the cases, among
others.”
However, those excluded
are inmates serving jail terms for capital offences such as murder, kidnapping,
armed robbery, rape and treason among others.
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