FG considers commutting death penalty for 2,745 inmates

Indications are rife that prisoners on death sentences who have spent 10 years behind bars without their convictions signed by the affected state governors may have them commuted to life imprisonment by the federal government.

The move followed the refusal of governors to sign death verdicts passed on thousands of prisoners in various correctional centres across the country.

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has hinted that there are 2,745 inmates on death row in its correctional facilities in the country.

NCoS said yesterday in Abuja that such inmates stand the chance of getting their execution order reversed to life imprisonment if the state governors fail to do the needful 10 years after the court judgement.

This, according to the agency, would take effect immediately the amended Criminal Justice Act of 2015 is domesticated.

The comptroller-general of NCoS, Ja’afaru Ahmed, who disclosed this during the 2019 media parley/facility tour of Dukpa Farm Centre, Gwagwalada, Abuja, said that the refusal of the governors to sign the execution order for condemned inmates was a major cause of prison congestion.

Ahmed, who was represented by the NCoS public relations officer, Francis Osagiede Enobore, said that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act is designed to hasten the trial of suspects so that correctional facilities can be decongested.

He said: “It’s disturbing that state governors are not willing to sign death sentences of condemned inmates, neither are they willing to commute their death sentences to life imprisonment.”

The NCoS boss said that only 24 states have domesticated the Criminal Justice Act stressed that the amended Act would help decongest the facilities, “as some of its provisions empowers correctional centres to reject inmates so that the facilities are not overcrowded.”

Ahmed said that the Service had developed the Correction Information Management System (CIMS) to capture inmates’ biometric, access the length of remand and pre-trial detention proceedings in the correction system.

He said that the CIMS project had taken off in some locations in the country

Enobore, who doubles as controller of corrections, added that a re-assessment of utility services in NCoS’ facilities nationwide is ongoing in order to device ways of coping with the phenomenal overcrowding in the system and avoid recurrence.

He said that the generous attention of the present administration to the NCoS, coupled with the doggedness of his boss, provided a recipe for fundamental changes in offenders’ management.

This, he said, was evidenced in the reinvigorated reformation and rehabilitation programmes in custodial centres, part of which was the multi-million naira bakery and confectionery unit established in three locations in 2019.

He said: “We have equally attempted to address the age-long infrastructural deficit through the construction and rehabilitation of inmates’ cells including the provision of beds and beddings to enhance humane custody.

“Of significant mention are the 3,000 capacity modern custodial centres approved for all the geo-political zones, with that of the North West in Kano nearing completion while that of the North Central in Abuja, and Bori in Rivers State had commenced.

According to him, “a total of 32 satellite custodial centres shut down by the Boko Haram insurgency have been re-opened.”

The NCoS spokesman also revealed that 22 reformed members of the Boko Haram inmates under the agency’s custody sat for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) within the period under review.

He added that in a bid to improve access to justice for pre-trial detainees, 382 operational vehicles were procured and distributed between 2016 and 2018 for inmates to be taken to court for hearing as and when due.

Enobore, who said that NCoS had not left out the issue of welfare for its staff, revealed that since the appointment of Ahmed as comptroller-general (CG), over 25,000 officers and men of the service had been promoted, with some of them stagnated for 15 years.

“May I use this opportunity to formally inform you that funds have been released by the federal government to pay the promotion arrears of the personnel. For those who were promoted in 2013 and 2014 and accordingly, payment has been effected to all beneficiaries including retired staff members,” he said.