The minister of interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has called for the support of critical stakeholders to reform Nigeria’s correctional service.
This is contained in a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Alao Babatunde, on Wednesday in Abuja.
The minister made the call during a presentation at the international donor round table on correctional service reform organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in Abuja.
Mr Tunji-Ojo said decongesting correctional facilities in the country demands urgent collaboration between the government, civil society groups, and the international community.
“There is a lot to do in the area of decongesting our correctional facilities. From our audits, we have too many inmates who are awaiting trial and many others who are illegally detained.
“With over 80,000 inmates, we were able to decongest only 5 per cent with the N585 million fines we cleared on Saturday.
“Today, we seek the support of the UN as there is an…