FIC Report (Abia State) – Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, OFR, has reiterated his administration’s determination to reduce congestion and improve the conditions of correctional facilities across the state.
Governor Otti made this known when the new Zonal Coordinator of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Owerri Zone E, and Assistant Controller General of Corrections, Dr Ngozi Amanze, paid him a familiarisation visit at Government House, Umuahia.
According to the Governor, the decision of his administration to build new facilities for Correctional Centres in the state was driven by the need to reduce overcrowding and curb the tendency for hardened criminality within the centres.
“Our intention when we decided to build new facilities is to reduce congestion and reduce the temptation to more crime in there. Even when people go there, we want them to be corrected and reformed, rather than becoming hardened criminals,” Gov. Otti stated.
Governor Otti recalled an early encounter shortly after assuming office with former Kaduna lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, who vowed not to return to Abia until renovations were completed at the Aba Correctional Centre, where he was once detained during the Abacha regime. The encounter prompted an assessment of the centre, which also revealed community encroachment concerns.
The Governor further disclosed that in the past two years, efforts to grant pardon to inmates with minor offences had been hindered by the absence of such cases. He appealed to the Zonal Coordinator to help identify inmates eligible for pardon to support decongestion.
“A lot of people were there for murder or other serious offences. We repeated the same exercise in December 2024 but still couldn’t find any with minor offences. We hope you will help us look again. We don’t want the numbers to increase because it signals rising crime,” he said.
Responding to concerns raised by Dr Amanze, Governor Otti assured that his administration would prioritise medical services within the facilities. He directed the Commissioner for Health to assess the centres with a view to establishing functional primary healthcare services for inmates.
“Where you have such a large number of people, you should have working medical facilities. Even if it’s not a hospital, it could be a primary health care centre. We will try and support you with that,” the Governor assured.
He commended the Nigerian Correctional Service for its cooperation and acknowledged the positive reforms currently ongoing in Abia’s correctional system.
Earlier, Dr Ngozi Amanze commended the Governor for his significant interventions, citing the fortified perimeter wall at the Aba Correctional Centre, solar streetlights, and the newly built storey building with six cells as key improvements that have enhanced security and boosted staff morale.
She expressed optimism that the ongoing construction of additional cell blocks would further expand capacity and reduce overcrowding in the centres.
The visit had in attendance the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Navy Commander MacDonald Uba (Rtd), and other senior security aides.
Signed
Abiakam Gloria Ify
HOC, FIC Umuahia Abia State.
24 November 2025.
