The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has flagged off the disbursement of a N585 million release fine aimed at facilitating the release of 4,068 inmates across various correctional facilities in Nigeria.
The initiative, revealed during a ceremony at Kuje prison in Abuja, aims to alleviate overcrowding in the country's correctional facilities.
In his address, Tunji-Ojo outlined that inmates with fines not surpassing N1 million qualify for this initiative, seeking to address the prolonged detention of individuals due to their inability to pay bail funds.
He emphasized the pressing need to decongest correctional facilities, pointing out that these institutions, with a total installed capacity of less than 50,000, currently house about 8,804 inmates across 253 custodial facilities nationwide, signaling severe overcrowding.
Moreover, Tunji-Ojo clarified that the funding for this program wouldn't be solely sourced from the government but through a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative involving contributions from private sector entities and philanthropists nationwide.
He stressed that many of the affected inmates were indigents unable to afford their fines, languishing in custody as a result.
The Minister revealed that the initiative had roots in an announcement in October, wherein the Federal Government pledged to pay N500 million as a bail fine for 4,000 inmates whose bail did not exceed N1 million.
He assured that these fines would be settled, facilitating the release of inmates within four weeks. The funds for this initiative were gathered through partnerships with the private sector as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility programs.
"As of yesterday, the 17th of November 2023, there were about 8804 inmates in 253 custodial facilities nationwide with a total installed capacity of less than 50,000. It shows that our custodial centres are overcrowded, necessitating this initiative we are flagging off today.
"Most of the inmates are indigents who cannot afford to pay their fine languishing in custody.
"The total fund of N585 million was raised by corporate bodies as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for this purpose. Hence, all inmates in custodial centres who have fines or compensation not exceeding 1 million are qualified and will benefit from this gesture.
"In addition, we are also providing each of them a stipend to enable them to stand in their community," he added.
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