To address the challenges confronting the nation’s Correctional Centres, arrangements are being concluded by the Federal Government to move 3,000 inmates out of Kuje prison facility to the Special Correctional Facility at Karshi, Abuja, by December.
The government said the congestion of facilities and incessant attacks on Custodial Centres would reduce drastically with the completion of three Special Facilities in Kano, Abuja and River State.
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who dropped the hint, said he would approach President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to provide more support for the completion of the on going Special Prison facility in Karshi area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Aregbesola, who undertook a tour of the 3,000 Capacity Buildings alongside the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, (NCoS), Haliru Nababa and other top officers of the Service, said the N12 billion project would be completed by December should the President give approval for funds to complete the project.
While interacting with the contractors handling the three phases of the project, it was gathered that through a Special Intervention Financing, about N6 billion has so far been released by the government for the project.
The second phase would gulp about N2 billion and the third phase of completion would gulp N4 billion.
The Minister expressed satisfaction with the level of work already delivered, saying that if not for other services within the facility, the project has reached 75 percent completion.
Aregbesola, who praised Buhari for initiating the special funding, said the project would not have reached the present stage of completion except for the wisdom of the President.
Aregbesola hinted that the facility is a standard world class facility capable of providing safety and security for inmates and personnel of the NCoS and other support Services that would be available within the area.
Speaking with newsmen at the end of the tour, the Minister said: ” I am happy with the progress of work. What we have here is something extraordinary. Three of these type of projects are in advance stages. What we have seen here is 55% completion. We got this far because President Muhammadu Buhari, provided an intervention fund. There is no way we would have gone this far with only budgets. Every budget circle has a limit of what can be given to Ministries, agencies, and departments.
“My desire is to have the first three of the six projects to be completed before this administration ends. I will approach the President for support for the project in Kano, Rivers and Abuja. It will bring the Correctional Service Centres of this new projects to 9,000 Special Facility Capacity for holding trial inmates and convicts.
“These buildings will hold 3,000 categories of inmates. We have the female section that is yet to be built. We have the section for difficult inmates, ordinary inmates.
“It is a standard facility. If we can have this completed, most of the people we are holding in some current facilities that are not suitable will be moved there.
“We have a similar facility in Kano that is almost completed. I believe before December, it will be inaugurated and commissioned by the President. The one at River State is almost at the same stage like this.
“With support from the President, these two (Rivers and Abuja) will be completed by the end of the year. It will relieve the Correctional Services by moving those who are suppose to be here.”
Source: The Nation
