The Controller General of Nigerian Prisons Service, Mr. Jafaru Ahmed said the government of Lagos State contributed to prisons congestion in the state.
Ahmed stated this at the weekend during the visit of the Vice Chancellor, Covenant University, Ota, Prof. Aderemi Atayero and his entourage to Female Maximum and Medium Security Prisons, Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos, on the occasion of Life Recovery Pre-Release Empowerment Programme (ONESIMUS Project), a partnership of Covenant University, Nigerian Prisons Service, Prison Fellowship Nigeria, and Small And medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN.
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The controller was represented by Assistant Controller General of Nigeria Prisons Service, Ogundana Jerome, Zonal Coordinator, Zone A.
The prison boss, who lamented the problem of congestion due to high number of inmates awaiting trials in prisons said inadequate funding was one of the contributing factors to it.
He went on to blame Lagos State Government for that of the state.
Ahmed said, “The number of awaiting trials constitutes more than three quarter of population awaiting trials that is why we are having problem of congestion every day.
“There are a lot of factors responsible for this congestion, for example there is a present programme of LASG where people are raided on daily basis and dumped in prisons with minor offences. In developed countries those offences are not supposed to be brought to prisons, so when you bring every Tom Dick, and Harry it causes congestion.”
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