During a public hearing on Wednesday, 23rd October 2019 organized by the National Assembly joint committee on appropriation, Rauf Aregbesola, the Minister of Interior informed the committee that the Ministry has commenced working with the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to decongest Nigerian Prisons.
This according to the Minister, was to reduce the pressure on its facilities and improve their conditions.
Mr Aregbesola disclosed that about 90 per cent of inmates awaiting trial are said to have violated state laws, hence the need to carry State Governors along in the process.
In his words “In no distant future, we will reduce the issue of awaiting trial considerably; as we are also working with the Governors on that" The Minister said.
He added that the Ministry will liaise with State Governors to carry them along in devising strategies to decongest the facilities.
In six months, this will be put behind us.
On the number of inmates in Nigerian Prisons, the Minister disclosed that there are 75,000 inmates in prisons across the country.
Aregbesola’s declaration is coming a few days after an investigation published by TheCable Online Newspaper exposed the rot in the Prisons system.
According to Fisayo Soyombo, an investigative journalist spent eight days as an inmate in Ikoyi Prison tracking corruption in the prison establishment.
His damning revelation in the Prisons include drug abuse, sodomy, bribery, pimping and cash and carry operations, among others.
It is hoped that, once the Prison is decongested, the vices being perpetrated in the facilities will be put under control.