FG restates move to relocate colonial-era correctional centres

FG restates move to relocate colonial-era correctional centres

Records drop in repeat offenders
The Federal Government has said that it recorded a significant drop in the number of repeat offenders within the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), with recidivism figures plummeting from 11,616 in 2023 to 1,382 in 2025.

Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this, yesterday, in Abuja, during the formal presentation of the investigative report on the state of the nation’s custodial centres.

Tunji-Ojo attributed the sharp decline to sustained investment in inmate rehabilitation and educational reformation initiatives across the country’s custodial formations.

The minister revealed that 15,632 inmates were admitted into custody in May 2026 alone, while 14,190 individuals were released upon the expiration of their terms within the same period.

Tunji-Ojo, who stated that the findings of the investigative panel would be rigorously executed, announced plans by the Federal Government to establish an aggressive implementation framework backed by an independent monitoring and evaluation committee.

“This report will not gather dust on the shelves. We are going to be very aggressive in terms of implementation,” he said.

The minister, who flagged several colonial-era facilities, including the Suleja Custodial Centre built in 1914 and the Ikoyi facility built in 1955, for total relocation, noted that urban encroachment had swallowed up the mandatory 100-metre security buffer zones of facilities in Enugu, Abakaliki, Ibadan, and Lagos, leaving some sitting dangerously close to markets and government offices.

Tunji-Ojo subsequently appealed to state governments to co-fund the relocation exercises, saying that state judiciaries generate the bulk of the custodial burden.

The minister further confirmed that President Bola Tinubu had approved a 50 per cent upward review of inmate feeding allowances, which has already been monetised by the Ministry of Finance.

He, therefore, challenged civil society organisations to police the custodial kitchens to ensure compliance.

Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani, disclosed that the investigative panel inspected 86 custodial centres across 23 states to compile the assessment.

Also, Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, welcomed the report, describing the ministerial probe as a healthy exercise in institutional accountability rather than a witch-hunt.