Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Adams Oshiomhole, has revealed the shocking disparity in feeding standards between Nigerian prisoners and security dogs in the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS).
Speaking during the 2024 budget defense session, Oshiomhole expressed dismay over reports that the NCS spends N800 daily to feed each of its 900 dogs, while only allocating N750 to feed inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial.
Oshiomhole’s revelations come hot on the heels of his earlier disclosure that foreign prisoners have taken over Nigerian construction sites as reported by MUK TV, indicating a broader problem in the country’s systems.
He criticized the deplorable state of the prisons, highlighting how inmates, many of whom are yet to be convicted, suffer from inadequate feeding, resulting in some leaving the prison system more hardened than when they entered.
The Chairman called for an urgent review of the feeding allowance for inmates, stressing the need for humane treatment and proper rehabilitation within correctional facilities.
He challenged the Correctional Service to provide a detailed breakdown of how inmates are fed three times a day with the allocated N250 per meal.
Additionally, Senator Ireti Kingibe raised concerns about the welfare of the inmates, questioning the number of medical and veterinary personnel available for their care.
Earlier, NCS Comptroller General, Haliru Nababa, disclosed that the service has N81,000 inmates across the custodial centres nationwide, with more than 53,000 of them awaiting trial, saying that his Service spends N750 to feed an inmate per day, an amount he said was grossly inadequate, just as he said that they had proposed an upward review of N3,000 daily feeding cost for an inmate and the proposal had been submitted to the Minister of Interior.
“The total number of inmates in 2023 is 81,354 nationwide while 53, 352 are awaiting trial. We feed each inmate with N750 daily and they are fed 3 times daily (N250 for each square meal). We have 900 security dogs and to feed a dog each day is N800 daily,” Nababa said.
Not satisfied with the response of the NCS boss, Oshiomhole curiously questioned how such a paltry amount could feed an inmate.
His words, “You all know the prices of these food items in the market, so how can you look us eye to eye and tell us that you feed a man in Nigeria awaiting trial or even committed an offence with N750 a day. How much is a bottle of water?” He questioned.
“The Minister of Interior said yesterday that the NCS rather than being correctional is dehumanising. I am surprised that the 2024 budget is still based on old figures. I am surprised the CG cannot, based on the market forces, present before us, the realistic amount that could feed an innocent Nigerian who has not been pronounced guilty by any court of law. You mean the chart is so complicated that you will need to read a book to tell us?”
This revelation came after a brief period where the team appeared to deliberate on the response, hinting at potential deficiencies in available data.
The joint session, attended by several lawmakers, further highlighted the urgent need for enhanced conditions within correctional facilities and raised pertinent questions regarding the care and well-being of inmates under the custody of the Correctional Service.
