The Federal Government has written to the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF to call an interface in order to decongest prison around the country.
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola gave the advice in a statement by his Media Adviser, Sola Fasure in Abuja. He noted that the meeting is necessary as over 90 per cent of the inmates were being held for contravening various state laws, noting that over 70 per cent of the 75,635 inmates at present were awaiting trial.
It will be recalled that, Aregbesola had suggested a meeting with state Governors to agree on the mass release of about 30 per cent of convicts from correctional facilities across the country.
He also explained that the federal offenders in the system were fewer than 10 per cent, adding that the bulk of people in custody were those who had run afoul of state laws.
According to the minister, they were therefore being kept under the legal jurisdiction of their respective states, adding that the decongestion of the 253 custodial centres nationwide was necessary as some of the inmates have no reason to remain in custody.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government says over 12,000 inmates were released from various correctional centres across the country within the last six years in line with the policy of prison decongestion.
