FG to construct over 3000 modern capacity custodial centers – Minister

The Nigerian Government says it has invested in the construction of 3,000 modern capacity custodial centers in each of the six geo-political zones of the country.

This was in response to the scourge of recent vicious attacks on the nation’s custodial facilities.

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola made these known while speaking at the second ministerial strategy retreat of the ministry tagged, ‘Developing internal security and public safety towards a five-year strategic plan for accelerated national development’.

Aregbesola also said that the target of the investment in new custodial facilities was to decongest the existing ones, ensure good living condition for inmates and support implementation of the NCoS Act 2019 with the goal of rehabilitating, reformation and reintegration of inmates.

At the retreat that was attended by officers and men of all paramilitary agencies in the ministry, the minister, who also said that government has commenced retraining of officers to respond to the attacks on custodial facilities, added that more sophisticated weaponry are being provided for their use.

“Construction is almost at completion stages in Janguza, Kano state (85% completion) and will be completed by April, 2022; Karshi, in FCT is (65% completion) and Bori in Rivers state is (40% completion)”.

Extraordinary times

Ogbeni Aregbesola, who said that Nigeria is in extraordinary times as a nation, added that, “We are tracking the criminals who attacked our facilities and also re-arresting many of the fleeing inmates. We
won’t rest until all of them have been brought back to custody.

“If you are an ardent follower of the news, you will see that it is common place to read news of different numbers of inmates being re-arrested through the help of sister security agencies and a special task force set up for this purpose. Leveraging technology, the foot-prints of escapee inmates are being tracked, so our citizens can be rest assured of their security”.

According to him, “the present administration remains focused and primed to solve the challenges the country is facing part of which this retreat will help deliver more solutions for”.

He disclosed that while the Ministry has captured the biometrics of all inmates, the dreadful Covid-19 virus has been kept out of our custodial facilities to date: a development he described as “a monumental feat of global acclaim”.

The Minister condemned the attacks on the nation’s custodian centers and assured that all the inmates that escaped would be rearrested through their data.

“We are facing unique challenges that will define how we live moving
forward. As a result, there is no shortage of work to be done, or responsibilities to bear. The Federal Government is rising up to the new challenge posed by these attacks”.

The Minister also used the occasion to charge top management staff of both the ministry and its para-military agencies, responsible for formulating and implementing policies and programmes in their respective organizations, saying that the purpose of the retreat was to provide a congenial environment to brainstorm on the ways and means of putting in place measures and strategies that would ensure internal security and public safety of the citizenry.

He therefore reminded officers and men of the ministry that they have the responsibility of forging the path towards effective achievement of Mr. President’s mandate on Nigeria’s internal security adding that they must never forget, above all things, that their main purpose is to serve the people.

Overcoming security challenges

In his remarks, the Controller-General, Federal Fire Service, Doctor Liman Ibrahim said Nigeria is gradually coming out of the challenges of insecurity as well as destruction through fire.

In his paper presentation titled: ‘Improving Nigerian’s Preparedness for Internal Security and Public safety threats: A case for A Medium Term Strategic Plan’, the guest lecturer, Doctor AbdulHamid Hamisu advocated the need for the formulation of strategic plan to resolve challenges as they occurred.

Emmanuel Ukoh