Daud Olatunji
The Federal Government has commenced the relocation of 29 long-standing custodial centres across the country, some of which have existed for over a century, following approval by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Friday while commissioning 39 mini Green Maria operational vehicles and five bullet-resistant guard booths at the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) headquarters in Abuja.
“In terms of the relocation of our correctional centres, the president has graciously approved for us to start the process of relocating about 29 custodial centres across the country,” Tunji-Ojo announced.
Highlighting the need for the move, the minister questioned the current locations of several custodial centres, noting that many are in highly unsuitable environments.
“For instance, Agodi in Ibadan, what is a custodial centre doing in a market? For instance, Ikoyi, why are you sharing a fence with people playing golf?
“For instance, Enugu, what are you doing inside the GRA? For instance, Akwa Ibom, why are you facing the government house? For instance, Port Harcourt is there, even Suleja,” he stated.
The minister stressed that the age and location of these facilities made them unfit for housing inmates, emphasizing that the process of relocation had already begun.
Meanwhile, the Controller-General of NCoS, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, disclosed that the newly procured 39 operational vehicles would be strategically distributed across the country to enhance the transportation of inmates to and from courts.
He noted that this would also help address the backlog of Awaiting Trial Persons (ATP), which has been a major challenge for the correctional system.
As of February 17, 2025, the total inmate population in Nigeria stood at 80,066, with 53,225 inmates—representing 66 per cent—still awaiting trial, while only 34 per cent (26,841) had been convicted and were serving various prison terms.
In addition to the operational vehicles, the five bullet-resistant guard booths will be deployed to the NCoS National Headquarters in Abuja, the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, and the Maximum Security Custodial Centres in Port Harcourt, Kano, and Lagos.
“These booths are meant to secure our custodial centres against external attacks and are equipped with long-range surveillance capabilities to protect against high-level threats,” Nwakuche stated.
He added that the facilities were designed to withstand ammunition from General Multi-Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG) and other explosive devices, ensuring the safety of correctional officers and inmates.
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