Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the interior minister, has said that more than 4,000 prisoners are being kept in detention facilities around the nation because they are unable to pay fines.
The detainees’ failure to pay the many penalties imposed by the courts and magistrates, he claimed, is the reason why this scenario has lasted.
The minister made this statement through his assistant, Alao Babatunde on Saturday when the ambassador of the European Union to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi, paid him a visit at his office in Abuja.
He stated:
“Over 70 percent of the 79,000 inmates are awaiting trial.
“We have over 4000 inmates in the facilities for their inability to pay various fines.
“We believe we can reduce the number of inmates in our correctional facilities by about forty percent if we explore non-custodial alternatives as provided for in the Correctional Service Act.”
He urged the EU to assist Nigeria in making technology accessible to bolster and improve its internal border management infrastructure.
“If we are able to solve crime and migration problems in Nigeria, Africa will be better for it,” he added.
cc: Daily Post Ng
