Fagbemi Urged to Intervene in Inmates’ Plight at Correctional Centres

•Increase funding for Legal Aid Council  

•Convene bodies of attorney’s-general meeting on status of inmates without trial

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has been called on to urgently intervene in the plights of inmates in various correctional centers across the country.

The call by the working group of the Presidential Audit of Inmates’ Data Collection Exercise in Custodial Centers of the Nigeria Correctional Service, was based on the deplorable state of the inmates.

Head of the working group, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, SAN, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja, while submitting the report of the group to the AGF.

“The audit exercise was carried out between January 13 & March 14, 2025. The audit process includes physical visitations to the custodial centres as well as interaction with inmates.

“In the course of the audit, the working group reviewed the detention warrants of the inmates and, in some cases, visited the specific courts on whose orders the inmates were remanded to further authenticate the detention warrants,” Fapohunda said.

Speaking further, the senior lawyer stated their mandate was mainly to focus on the legal status of Section 35 Inmates (inmates that have been kept in detention for a longer period than the maximum period of imprisonment prescribed for the offence).

“There were those inmates in remand for non-capital offences who, after being arraigned, their cases were caught up by the slow judicial process and would require the active intervention of the State Ministries of Justice. The second category was those inmates remanded for capital offences, including terrorism.

 “Indeed, in one custodial centre, the working group discovered at least seven inmates remanded for offences relating to terrorism who have been on remand for upwards of 10 years from date of detention.

“The working group was unable to find any record that showed that they were brought before any court since the date of their detention. The intervention of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation is urgently required in this instance”, he said.

“The working group found that an alarming high number of inmates in the custodial centres under review were without legal representation. The HAGF is invited to note that although the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria is mandated to provide free legal services to inmates without legal representation, it is presently under-resourced and thus barely able to make a significant difference.

“There were also inmates with life-threatening ailments who required urgent medical attention, the cost of which was outside the budget of the Correctional Services.

“The Working Group also identified several minors, including those whose ages as stated on their warrants of detention were incompatible with their physical outlook”, he added.

Meanwhile, the group identified the absence of coordinated and sustained solutions at the federal and state levels level as a major challenge.

It then recommended that the AGF “convenes a meeting of the Body of Attorneys-General, with a view to achieving a coordinated response between federal and state governments on the legal status of all inmates including but not limited to those who have overstayed without trial.

In a remark, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, disclosed that the working group was constituted as part of efforts to ensure access to justice and ensure that persons are not unduly detained in our custodial centres.

According to the Minister, the move is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and in line with the obligations under various national and international instruments.

“This mandate of the working group is crucial to achieving the standards we have set for ourselves in our effort to reform our criminal justice system.

“The vision of Mr. President is for a criminal justice system that maintains law and order, deters crime, punish offenders, while at the same time strives to rehabilitate those offenders in order to facilitate their recovery and reintegration to society”, Fagbemi said.

The AGF however pledged to take advantage of various collaborative platforms to engage with critical stakeholders in order to ensure uniformity in approaches to addressing measures militating against access to justice, particularly in the area of over-crowding in correctional centres.

While stating the platforms cut across the judiciary and the executive, the minister added that, “We will also continue to embark on legislative reforms until we are able to reach our desired goals for the benefit of our citizens.

“I am aware of our citizens’ concerns about matters of crime, safety, and security in our various communities. Achieving speedy processing of inmates in our custodial facilities is not in conflict with our commitment to be tough on crime and criminals. We can pursue both goals with vigor and with an eye on results.

“I am quite concerned about inadequate resourcing for the Legal Aid Council which is a critical institution in our quest to facilitate access to justice, enhanced funding for the Council will be consistent with governments’ stated goals of affirming the rights of all Nigerians irrespective of social situation or economic status.

“Consequently, my office will intensify efforts aimed at achieving additional funding for the council”.