FG Writes Nigerian Governors, Seeks To Free Prisoners

Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior, has written to the Nigerian Governors Forum to request a meeting in order to decongest jails around the country.

The minister in a statement by his Media Adviser, Sola Fasure, on Tuesday said that the interface was necessary as more than 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.

The minister added 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 on Tuesday revealed that 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.