Negligence, Cause Of Rot In Nigerian Prisons

The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau has said negligence by past governments was responsible for the rots in Nigerian prisons.

He made this submission during the formal presentation of the Nigerian Prisons Survey Report in Abuja on Thursday.

Dambazau who recounted his experience when he visited the prison in Port Harcourt within the week, said there was serious decay in Nigerian prisons.

"For a very long time, our prisons have been neglected", he said. "I was at the Port Harcourt Prison yesterday [Wednesday] and its 100 years old. Everything I saw there is a reflection of this report."

He stressed that the prison was meant for about 800 inmates but it's currently accommodating close to 5000 inmates.

"I can tell you that anyone who goes to that prison will come out as animal.

"This situation is so disturbing and we must do something about our prisons,” Dambazau stressed.

While acknowledging that the Federal Government have been doing enough recently, he pointed out that years of neglects had created too much vacuum to fill.

The Minister said the report will help the government have data to work with in its efforts to improve prisons management in the country.

He called for a total overhaul of public prosecution as well as investigation procedures of the Police, stressing that 'if investigation is poor, prosecution will take long."

Earlier, the Controller General of Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Ja'afaru Ahmed said the survey was conducted by the Service in conjunction with Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) and British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

He said the Service had not been able to solve the challenges relating to overcrowding because there was dearth of baseline data on nature and characteristics of prison overcrowding.

Ahmed assured that the report will enhance the quality and speed of legal representation for Awaiting Trial Persons amongst other benefits.