Mr Rauf Aregbesola who is the Nigerian Minister of Interior has revealed that he will be meeting with the state Governors to finalise an agreement on the mass release of at least 30 per cent of most of the inmates from custodial centres all across the country.
Aregbesola had also made this known in while he had been participating in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday and he had also reiterated that the interface was necessary as more than 90 per cent of the inmates had been held for contravening various state laws.
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Aregbesola had also revealed that over 70 per cent of the 75,635 inmates at present were awaiting trial and he also noted that the the federal offenders in the system were far less than 10 per cent, while adding that the bulk of people in custody were those who have run foul of state laws.
Aregbesola called on all stakeholders to work towards a “better-structured criminal justice administration, otherwise, we will just be left with congested and overcrowded facilities”.
He said, “I have written the Nigerian Governors Forum to allow me to come and address them on how they can support the process of decongestion.
“Because the governors must buy into this system for us to do a massive decongestion, especially of Awaiting Trial Inmates.
“If we get the buy-in of state judicial authorities and the government of the states, we can pull out 30 per cent of those who are there.”
He said some of the awaiting trial inmates have stayed longer than the punishment provided by law for the crime they were arrested for.
“If you look at a man that is caught for petty theft and you are trying him for three years, even if you convict him for that crime, how long will he stay?
“How long will that fellow stay, probably six months, but without trial, he will be there for three years.
“Again, you arrested a boy under the bridge, there is no fixed crime and he is there forever and so on and so forth.
“So, we need the buying in and support from state governments.
“This is for them to critically know the situation and let them set up committees that will profile all those who are there.
“And help either to convict, release them or see if they have overstayed their required time,” the minister said.
The minister added that the decongestion of the 253 custodial centres nationwide was necessary as some of the inmates have no reason to remain in custody.