Aregbesola Calls For Release Of 30% Of Prison Inmates

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior, has assured Nigerians that the insecurity bedevilling the country would be over by December.

He gave the assurance in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, reaffirming President Buhari’s promises not to leave the country without curtailing and effectively addressing the security challenges.

The Minister added that he will meet with state governors to agree on the mass release of at least 30 percent of inmates from custodial centres across the country, adding that the interface was necessary as more than 90 percent of the inmates were being held for contravening various state laws.

According to Aregbesola, Buhari said he would not leave the country without curtailing and effectively addressing the security challenges.

The minister said that Buhari had given a December deadline for the security forces to restore order and stability in all parts of the country.

“He gave the deadline for the total elimination of such threats to the security of lives and property by December.

“I believe that nobody is resting in all the arms of government with the mandate of maintaining law and order, guaranteeing security and eliminating threats.

“We are at it, and in the first instance, we must ask ourselves, governance is about ensuring the security of lives and properties.

“We will eliminate all insecurity issues by December.

“If you look at the state of affairs in Nigeria, I’ll tell you that a whole lot of progress had been made over the years, ” he said.

The minister said the federal offenders in the system were far less than 10 per cent, adding that the bulk of people in custody were those who have run foul of state laws.

He said they were therefore being kept under the legal jurisdiction of their respective states.

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.

Aregbesola called on all stakeholders to work towards a “better-structured criminal justice administration, otherwise, we will just be left with congested and overcrowded facilities”.