The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) says 28,149 inmates were freed nationwide in 2024 after the payment of fines and compensation.
Deputy Controller General Ibrahim Idris revealed this on Thursday in Abuja during the third public hearing of the Independent Investigative Panel on Alleged Corruption and Other Violations against the Service.
Idris described such payments as a charitable act that has significantly eased prison congestion and reduced the burden on the Federal Government. He commended interventions like that of Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, where selected inmates not only had their fines and compensation settled but were also given repatriation funds.
“The fewer the inmates in custody, the better the chance for proper rehabilitation,” Idris said, stressing that imprisonment is meant to serve as a punishment, not for punishment.
Assistant Controller General Cyrus Lekatile explained that NCoS cannot legally detain anyone without proper documentation, and that inmates given the option of a fine or compensation must serve a sentence if unable to pay.
He outlined the process for cases where compensation remains unpaid at the end of a sentence, noting that courts can either convert the outstanding amount into additional jail time or order the inmate’s release.
Lekatile also disclosed that lawmakers are considering an amendment to the NCoS Act, 2019, to create a Victim Compensation Trust Fund financed by federal allocations. The fund would cover payments to victims without tying them to an inmate’s ability to pay, though inmates would still be required to carry out tasks that contribute to the fund.
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