Amid the rising economic hardship across the country, the Nigeria Correctional Service said it would not reduce inmates’ rations or trade off their welfare.
According to The PUNCH, the spokesperson for NCoS, Umar Abubakar, said inmates’ feeding and welfare would not be tampered with to avoid attacks or protests in the custodial centres.
When asked how the service was dealing with the increasing cost of food, Abubakar explained, “There is no doubt that the present economic situation is biting harder as inflation keeps increasing almost daily.
“The Nigerian Correctional Service is not alienated from this economic conundrum. We have over 75,000 inmates in our custody and their welfare which includes their feeding and ration cannot be toyed with.
“One of the major triggers of violence in custodial centres is the issue of inmates’ feeding. Any good correction centre manager will make sure that the basic and physiological needs such as food, shelter, medicals, access to court and sanitation are fundamental in ensuring a peaceful custodial centre.
“Feeding of inmates in particular is a major national security issue that can ignite conflagrations in our facilities if not properly managed. The cost of foodstuff has indeed skyrocketed, and the Service is grappling with meeting the needs of the inmates using the present feeding rate as prices of things in the market have skyrocketed.
“The service is managing the available resources at its disposal to cater for the inmates even in the face of geometric increases in food prices. Indeed, the Service deserves kudos for this. Arising from this, the Service headed by the Controller General, Haliru Nababa, has written a proposal to the concerned authority for the upward review of inmates feeding rates.
“This is a proactive action targeted towards the enhanced welfare of inmates as well as ensuring water-tight security in our custodial facilities. There is no gainsaying that the present rate of feeding inmates is grossly inadequate, hence the need to expedite action in the proposal for an upward review of inmates’ feeding rate.”
The inmate population, according to the latest summary on the NCoS website, is 78,629 out of which convicted inmates are 23,896 and awaiting trial inmates, 53,706.
According to the 2024 budget, NCoS is to spend N24,447,582,237 on the supply of catering materials and foodstuffs.
