Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the interior minister, has revealed why some prisoners are kept in detention facilities across the nation.
He clarified that the reason is that they are unable to pay the many fines that have been imposed by judges and magistrates.
Due to this circumstance, according to Tunji-Ojo, more over 4,000 prisoners are housed in custodial facilities.
According to a statement made by his assistant, Alao Babatunde, the minister made this revelation on Saturday when the European Union’s ambassador to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi, paid him a visit at his office in Abuja.
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According to him, “Over 70 per cent 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 per cent if we explore non-custodial alternatives as provided for in the Correctional Service Act.”
He called on the EU to support Nigeria in making available technology to buffer and enhance border management architecture within the country.
“If we are able to solve crime and migration problems in Nigeria, Africa will be better for it,” he added.
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