By Edwin Philip
Persons younger than 18 years, women, persons with disability, people with mental health challenges and other vulnerable groups serving various sentences in Nigeria as well as the reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates have been looked into.
This was the focus of the day 10 and the last day of the Independent Investigative Panel on the Alleged Corruption, Abuse of Power, Torture, Cruel, Inhumane, and Degrading Treatment Against the Nigerian Correctional Service, which sat at Abuja Continental Hotel.
The investigative panel was put in place by the Minister of interior, Dr. Olubumi Tunji-ojo and chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Magdalene.Ajani.
Relying on section 34 and 35 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act of 2019, which speaks of separate facilities for female inmates in all States of the federation, provisions of necessary facilities to address special needs such as medical and nutritional needs, including pregnant women, nursing mothers and babies in captivity, as well as young offenders kept separately from the adult.
The panel advocated the needs to fully implement the relevant sections in accordance with the act, as well as adhering to the provisions of sections 13 and 14 of the act which calls for due diligence in the process in profiling inmates.
They said there is need to ensure that the relevant processes are put in place with the relevant organizations to ensure that the spirits and letters of this provisions are implemented.
The panel however, requested that the Correctional Service avail it of their reports as regards the level of implementation of this provisions, including recommendations, challenges in implementing the issues.
The committee sought to know the sections that speaks to the certifications of good behaviors asked the Correctional Service to provide it, if they have submitted the list of inmates that have demonstrated good behaviors, also if certificate were issued for good behavior by the board that is supervising the Correctional Service and how many of this have the board approved.
The panel also asked if those that have been issued with certificate of good behavior had complied by the general public.
On mental health of inmates, which is captured in section 24 of the Correctional Service Act of 2029, which requires the inmates to be removed from his or her current custodial centre to another or the closest mental health center, the panel enquired from the Correctional Service the functionality of the mental health review board, since it was Inaugurated by the Controller General of Corrections in August 2023.
Speaking as regards reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration, the chairperson of the panel, who is the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, relying on section 10 of the Correctional Service Act, she said some inmates are innovative in most of the centres she had visited across the country.
She advocated the need to provide additional supports, calling on the general public to support the Correctional Service in the provisions of equipment, as well as personnel.
She further requested that the Nigerian Correctional Service submit to the board, the requirements for recruitment in the areas that they require staffing, to impact low manpower skills, while commending the work and partnership with the open university and other educational institutions.
The panel in its recommendations, sought for support from the National Judiciary Council, to collaborate with the judiciary with respect to the provisions of section 12(12) of Correctional act as well as some provisions under section 14 and 13 of the act, reemphasing the need to implement the sharing formula of profits, in the case of Correctional Service enterprise, which will contribute to the reformation and integration of inmates when they are released.
In his response, the representative of the Controller General of Corrections,(CGC) section 34 of the act, that is Nigerian correctional service act, 2019, section 34, it provides that they should be a separate facility, and that women should not be part of the male facilities, the ways it has always been, blaming lack of funds to build separate facilities for female inmates and implementing it in full.
“However in some places like Auchi, Katsina, Lagos Ondo to mention but a few, they are separate female facilities, they don’t stay together with the men even though the are in the same facility with the men, they are in a different section for the female, and they have a separate door, separate gate to enter the place, but the new act provides that even this is not good enough” he said.
“So female have special needs and the law the same section 32 (2) provides that the special needs of the inmates be provided by the service, things like sanitary pads for monthly periods and other special needs of the women, the law provides and we are trying our best to do this” he added.
Responding to the issues of mental health, CGC, relying on Section 64 on the act, speaks of inmates with Mental health challenges, when this is noticed two members of the medical team is set up, one from the Correctional centre another one from outside, both with knowledge of medicine as regards mental health, instead of keeping him in captivity, he will be taken to a nearby government mental health institution.
On young offenders and person below 18 years, he said “if we notice that even with the prescription of the commitment warrant, that the individual is not up to 18, we have to make provisions to take such individuals to juvenile homes, which includes borstal homes and the second provision also provides that every State in Nigeria should have borstal homes”he said.
Adding that “Individuals that are less than 18 and are in conflict with the law, at present they are at borstal stations in Enugu, Kaduna, Lagos and Abeokuta. There are also those that have been gazetted, we have them in Kano and some other places, it only Abeokuta that is gazetted to keep awaiting trial that are below 18.”
According to him, the service is trying it best, and there is a bill before the National Assembly, for sometime now, soliciting the help of panel and the NGOs to facilitate it speedy passage into law.
“The system as it exists has no separate accommodations for the blinds or lame. We put them together with other inmates, so part of the assistants we will require is policies towards inmates that are challenged, as it is now there is nothing much that is happening as far as their issues is concern” he said.
The second public hearing was brought to a close with the Chairperson, appreciating all participants from the first to last day, saying that the panel will reconvene for the third time, soliciting the cooperation of citizens to have a a better Nigerian Correctional Service.