The Senate has frowned at claims by the Nigerian Correctional Services that it uses N750 daily to feed an inmate, and uses N800 to feed dogs.
The Senate is also disappointed at the Nigerian Correctional Services over poor treatment of prisoners in its facilities nationwide.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomole, on Thursday in Abuja,
during the 2024 Budget defence session with the Comptroller General of Correctional Centres lamented that though the name of the institution has been changed, inmates are still been dehumanised.
Oshomole emphasised that the Senate Committee will not be in a hurry to “rubber stamp” or approve any budget until they received satisfactory answers.
The Committee Chairman asked for a breakdown on the number of inmates and security dogs they have at the moment and how they are fed on a daily basis.
The lawmaker wondered how inmates can be fed with N250 per meal, at a time when there is an increase in the price of food items.
Responding to the questions, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa revealed that Correctional Centres currently houses 81,358 inmates of which 53,362 are Awaiting Trials.
The Correctional boss added that the country spends 22billion Naira yearly to feed Inmates, dogs and personnel on trainings.
He stressed that the past administration had increased the feeding cost for inmates from N450 to N750 per day, which according to him is still inadequate.
Nababa however pleaded with the lawmakers to intervene as they have already requested for an increase in the feeding cost for the inmates.
The boss of the Nigerian Correctional Services added that a letter had been written to the President for an upward review of the feeding cost to N3,000 per day for each inmate.
He revealed that the Service has 75 medical doctors and consultants, 6 veterinary doctors who cover Lagos, Kaduna, and Owerri, explaining that some of them cover more than one state and the move from place to place.
Editor: Ken Eseni
