Did you know that there are over 4000 people in detention centers across Nigeria? It’s not because they committed serious crimes, but because they couldn’t afford to pay their fines. This means that they are stuck in detention even though the judges and magistrates have already decided on their punishment.
Out of the 79,000 inmates in these centers, more than 70 percent are still waiting for their trials to begin. This is a big problem because it means that these people are being held in custody without being convicted of any crime. It’s not fair to keep them locked up for so long without a fair trial.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, believes that we can reduce the number of inmates in these detention centers by about forty percent. How? By using non-custodial alternatives as provided for in the Correctional Service Act. This means finding different ways to punish people that don’t involve keeping them locked up.
The Minister has asked the European Union to help Nigeria with technology that can improve border management. This is important because if we can solve crime and migration problems in Nigeria, it will benefit the whole of Africa. By working together, we can make our country and continent a safer place.
