AMILOADED MEDIA HUB NEWS UPDATE
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has commissioned a 20-bedspace COVID-19 hospital, equipment and generating plant at Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ilesa, Osun State, for the use of inmates and staff members, AMILOADED reports.
Speaking at the commissioning of the hospital on Tuesday, Aregbesola said the facility will go a long way in addressing the medical concerns of inmates and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) personnel.
The former governor of Osun State said the rights and dignity of the inmates who have made bad choices leading to their incarceration should be protected and enhanced.
He added that they are entitled to decent meals, medical treatment, and humane accommodation, among others.
“For this to be possible, the right infrastructure and environment have to be provided for both inmates and staff at the custodial centres. This is why we keep upgrading our facilities and providing new ones, in line with global best practices, in as much as our resources would permit.
“Furthermore, the Federal government is also conscious of the fact that NCoS is an integral part of the justice system and must be given the required attention, to keep the country on the path of progress.
This is more so, realising that beyond the primary duty of keeping inmates in safe custody and keeping society safe from them, the bigger duty, of course, is to reform and reintegrate them as better and responsible citizens into the society.
“Therefore, it is heart-warming to be part of today’s event, which seeks to increase significantly the capacity of the NCoS to actualise its statutory mandate. As we all know, healthcare is one of the basic amenities required for human wellbeing at any given time. Incarceration does not take away the right of inmates to quality medical care.
“The Ilesa Medium Security Custodial Centre has an interesting history as one of the oldest in the country. It was commissioned in 1943 with a capacity to accommodate 600 inmates. But with burgeoning population and society becoming more complex, this can no longer serve the needs of this area.
“However, with our intervention, a regional mega facility with capacity for 3,000 inmates has been established in Ilesa. It is a village on its own, with courts and other infrastructure for a modern custodial centre,” Aregbesola said.
The minister noted that the Federal Government established six such facilities in the six geo-political zones of the country to address the challenge of congestion, especially in urban centres and ease the burden of accommodation for inmates, adding that the ones in Abuja and Kano are almost completed, “and we hope that with improved funding, the others, including the one here, will be completed soon.”
He added, “The power generating plant is a major infrastructure in any organisation, considering the importance of power supply, which is the required energy needed to get a good number of things working, especially security.
“In an interesting development, the signing into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, the constitution amendment, part of which makes correction a concurrent item, we are definitely having solution to one of the knotty challenges of federalism in Nigeria.
“Awaiting trial inmates, 90 per cent of which are state offenders, constitute more than 70 per cent of the inmates across all custodial facilities. State governments should take advantage of this development to start providing for their own custodial centres and explore areas of mutual cooperation with the NCoS.
“But generally, the states must introduce judicial reforms that will make possible prompt dispensation of justice and do away with long and often indeterminate detention which creates the deluge of awaiting trial inmates in the custodial centres.
“Many inmates have been in detention for a period longer than the maximum sentence the offence they were alleged to have committed carries. This is miscarriage of justice and inexcusable. We cannot claim to be a just society when this happens to any of our citizens.”
Aregbesola further thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his interest and assistance to the Ministry of Interior, saying the improved budgetary allocation and financial consideration the ministry receive every year has enabled it to carry out the needed reform and provide infrastructure and equipment “as we are doing today”.
The former governor also thanked the leadership of the NCoS, especially the Controller General, for the innovation and commitment to the provision of security, care, and support for the inmates.
“It is my sincere belief that these facilities will be put to good use and be well maintained. This is the only way we can guarantee the optimum functioning of this centre and the security of inmates and staff.
“Let me use this opportunity to encourage the CGC and his management to sustain the tempo of progress and do more to actualise the lofty provisions of the NCoS Act, 2019. We can always do better, if we desire so.
“It is also important that all officials live above board, be thoroughly professional and shun any act of corruption, including inordinate relationship with inmates. Corruption suborns the integrity of any institution.
“In the custodial centre, it puts inmates and staff in danger and undermines the security of our nation, including the citizens. Therefore, all personnel must be personally disciplined and all rules followed,” Aregbesola added.
Leave a Reply