State govts now empowered to build, manage correctional facilities

State governments can now build and manage correctional facilities.

This is according to one of the 16 constitutional amendment bills, including the redesignation of correctional services in the concurrent legislative list signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 17.

Matters on prisons used to be a prerogative of the federal government

Speaking at a two-day conference on decongestion and corrections management in Abuja, Rauf Aregbesola, the minister of interior said the constitutional amendment has also empowered states to make provisions for the feeding and accommodation of inmates.

This simply means that states which do not have correctional facilities would have to pay the federal government for the feeding and accommodation of their inmates. he said.

“Until the amendment of the constitution, only the federal government was in charge of custodial centres.

“With the amendment of the constitution, states are now empowered to build correctional centres and facilities to house offenders convicted and sentenced for committing state offences.

“Where states cannot build custodial centres, it is believed that they can suggest ways to collaborate with the federal government in feeding and housing these state offenders.”

Inmates in custody across the nation and are awaiting trial are overstretched in all of the facilities.

Gimba Dumbulwa, an assistant controller general of the service, had said some of the inmates have been at the facilities without trial for over 10 years.