Minister: Inmate Audit System to Alleviate Prison Overcrowding

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced that the Federal Government has begun an audit of inmates across the 256 custodial centers in the country. This initiative aims to address facility overcrowding.

A statement from the Minister’s Media Assistant, Alao Babatunde, indicated that Tunji-Ojo revealed this information during an inspection of the ongoing 3,000-capacity Maximum Security Custodial Centre in Janguza, Kano State, as well as the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, Abuja. This audit follows a similar exercise conducted at correctional centers nationwide.

During the inspection, Tunji-Ojo emphasized the importance of an empirical and scientific approach to the audit. “The audit is ongoing, but what’s encouraging is that we conducted a facility audit earlier, and the current interventions are based on its results. We identify problems, understand their root causes, and then find solutions,” he said.

He highlighted that the audit would significantly decongest prisons by providing accurate data on the status of facilities. “The audit system is empirical and scientific, leading to substantial decongestion of our custodial centers. Data is crucial; it’s the lifeblood in this millennium. By the time we complete the audit, the level of decongestion will be evident,” Tunji-Ojo added.

At the Kuje facility, the minister received three books authored by an inmate who has been in custody for the past 12 years.