ABUJA (MoI’s Report) – Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahaman Bello Dambazau (Rtd) has expressed the readiness of Government to partner with Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) on prison reforms in the country.
General Dambazau made this disclosure during the presentation on prison reforms by the Director-General, Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission, Mr. Aminu Diko in his office.
The Minister said that establishing prison farms across the country would reduce the funds being expended on feeding prison inmates, largely made up of over sixty percent of awaiting trial inmates.
He emphasized that in establishing prison farms across the country, convicted prisoners would acquire skills in farming, which is expected to serve them beyond their prison terms, adding that Government was already giving consideration to relocating prisons out of city centers, as an integral part of prisons reforms.
Speaking earlier, Director-General, Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Mr. Aminu Diko said he was in the Ministry for collaboration on the land swap option, which is aimed at relocating some prisons away from urban centers, in order to curb security challenges, including jailbreaks and congestion.
He said that when fully operational, prison inmates would benefit maximally, as all provisions, which would help reform them, would be located within the facility, adding that space was a limiting factor in the present arrangement.
