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UNODC Advises on Making Nigerian Correctional Facilities Truly Reformative, Correctional
UNODC Advises on Making Nigerian Correctional Facilities Truly Reformative, Correctional
By: Michael Mike
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, (UNODC) has called for greater implementation of the non-custodial measures to truly make the Correctional facilities across the country truly reformative and correctional institutions for inmates.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja during a four-day Inmates Classification training for officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service, (NCoS), sponsored by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the U.S. State Department, (INL), and implemented by UNODC in Nigeria, with a focus on six prisons in Adamawa, Borno and Gombe States at the weekend in Abuja, the Project Coordinator, Prisons and Penal Reforms, UNODC, Munchaneta Mundopa said the training workshop is to promote international minimum standards and good practices related to the classification of inmates, including the treatment of inmates with special needs, women inmates and those assessed to be of high risk organized for mid level officers up to the rank of Controller of Corrections.
She said: “We know that there is a high number of awaiting trial inmates and not everyone who is in prison is supposed to be within the prison so non-custodial measures and strengthening the capacity of the justice actors to look at non custodial measures as well as strengthening the issue of rehabilitation and social reintegration of offenders.
“Like we always say if someone is in prison, eventually they will come out if they do not die in prison so they need to be equipped to live life as a law abiding citizen and for the society to be able to accept them back into the society because in often cases we often see that there’s stigmatization that continues when someone comes out of prison.”
She noted that “classification, it empowers the Nigerian Correctional Service to tailor rehabilitation plans based on the individual needs and risks of an inmate. So rehabilitation does not need to be a ‘one size fits all’ approach, it needs to be tailored to the specific inmate(s), so that when they go out into the society they are able to harness the power of what they’ve learnt in prison.
“In our partnership with the Nigerian Correctional Service, we realize that while the list of classification systems currently exist, there is a gap in terms of implementation and also in aligning it to the Nelson Mandela Rules.
“Our project is sponsored by INL and is part of the work that we are doing in Nigeria in the space of prison and Penal Reforms. Broadly we refocus on three areas including improving prison conditions, strengthening the capacity of actors to look at alternative ways of dealing with the criminal justice system or alternatives to imprisonment.”
She added that the Nigerian system is filled with awaiting trial inmates is particularly high. “For example, currently, we have 69 per cent of the prison population being awaiting trial inmates which is a cause for concern especially also taking into account that the length of the pre-trial detention can vary between three years to seven years.
“So there is need for a holistic approach in terms of how we manage that bringing together not only actors within the Nigerian correctional service but also within the criminal justice system as well so that it will look at alternatives to imprisonment.”
Controller General, NCoS), Haliru Nababa, who was represented by Controller of Corrections in charge of Further Studies and Foreign Missions, Cyrus Lakitile, commended the UNODC for creating training opportunities for personnel of the agency to strengthen the manage of inmayed and tye criminal justice system.
He said the workshop is essential to the work corrections officers do on a daily basis hence, such training exposures helps them identify gaps in their work and how to improve on such gaps.
“When we are exposed to things like this, we appreciate and accept the fact that there are certain gaps that may need improvement especially being equipped with the knowledge of classification if inmates.
“Classification of inmates is not a new term but because of the dynamics of life, you find improvement and certainly things cropping up internationally which requires upgrading our knowledge and that is just what we have gotten here,” he said.
On specific lessons learnt at the workshop, Lakitile said “I have really learnt new things on classification even though that had been the practice, we classify our inmates according to sex, crime, age and social status among others but for the first time, I just got to know that what we’ve been doing is rather separation and not classification in the true sense of it.
“Classification are two different things though interrelated but classification goes beyond separation, it demands an individualistic assessment of the risk of each inmate before determining the cell category to send any inmate.”
UNODC Advises on Making Nigerian Correctional Facilities Truly Reformative, Correctional
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
By: Michael Mike
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer (DG/CEO) of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Yemisi Asagbra debunked some allegations level against the agency by some non governmental organisations (NGOs) concerning negligence and compromise.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Asagbra said: “The negative statements circulating are misleading and lack credible scientific backing. The agency asks these organisations to present verifiable scientific evidence for their claims and we relies on sound scientific research and internationally recognized protocols to make informed decisions. It is part of the Cartagena Protocol with over 180 parties, our mandate is to protect the health of Nigerians and the environment. It will not compromise on this as it is an agency of integrity.
She added that: “The agency is transparent and accountable in its operations. It invites review of its processes and rigorous evaluations of GMO products. We are confident in our procedures that it’s meet global standards and it is a leader in effective regulation in Africa”.
On the source of the allegations, she said “over the years they have been advocating to have their presence in the board where all these products coming will be thoroughly Investigated, but it hasn’t been given. Most times we rely on the information given by Nigeria Custom Service to furnish them with needed information, which most time is not always easy if they have other things doing.
The Head planning, research and statistics National Biosafety Management Agency Mrs. Bello Scholastica said the agency is concerned with safety to our health and safety to our environment.
She further reiterated that what NBMA stands for is to establish first regulation from identification of the gene of interest, “of what you are interested in, from then till commercialization, and even after commercialization, they still follow suit to make sure that the approvals they gave hasn’t caused any harm, or those that were given approval to that they stay put to what they were asked to do”.
She further explained that the agency has put in effort to promote environmental conservation and biosafety in Nigeria.
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
By: Michael Mike
The House of Representatives has revealed that it is interested in the passage of the Human Rights Defenders Bill into law, saying that the bill has already passed the first reading and will soon be subjected to second reading.
The House also promised to take the necessary steps to ensure an improvement in the 2025 budget of the NHRC, pointing out that the N5 billion approved for it in the 2024 budget is inadequate considering the myriad of human rights violations in the country.
The Chairman House Committee on Human Rights, Hon. Abiola Makinde made this disclosure during the oversight visit of Committee to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The Chairman, who was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Hon. Mudashiru Lukeman assured the NHRC that the Committee would continue to advance the course of human rights in Nigeria by ensuring that the House of Representatives passes critical bills on human rights issues as well as makes adequate budgetary provisions to ease the work of the Commission.
Makinde also stated that in a bid to improve some aspects of Civil and Political Rights, the House of Representatives had ensured the establishment of human rights desks in all police formations and Headquarters across the 36 States of the Federation.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu who received the lawmakers with his management staff told the Human Rights Committee that the Commission relies heavily on them for the enactment of human rights friendly laws and enhanced budgetary provisions to discharge it broad mandate of promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in the country.
He used the opportunity to commend the legislators for their role in the amendment of the NHRC Act 2010 as well as the support of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in the payment of compensation to victims of human rights violations by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
He equally informed the legislators who were on oversight visit about the recent report released by the Commission following the findings of the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter-Insurgency Operations in the North East Nigeria , which he noted has saved the country from possible invitation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He noted that the aforementioned wide spread allegations of human rights infractions against some government institutions could result in the ICC extending invitations to some of the leaders to respond to the allegations, but the Commission has done the needful in compliance with the international principles of omplementarity.
He thanked the Committee for promising to improve the budgetary allocation of the Commission in the 2025 fiscal year.
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
By: Michael Mike
The arrest of Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa in Finland has been confirmed by the federal government.
A statement on Friday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Nigerian-Finnish citizen and prominent leader of the proscribed Indigenous People
of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested by Finnish authorities on Thursday.
According to the statement, Ekpa was
charged with inciting terrorism and promoting violence.
The Finnish District Court of
Päijät-Häme ruled to detain him on probable cause for publicly inciting crimes with terrorist intent.
The Finnish authorities alleged that Mr. Ekpa used social media platforms to spread
separatist propaganda, incite violence and encourage illegal actions, which had caused
significant disruptions in the South-East of Nigeria. Finnish investigators had also linked
him to incidents of violence in Nigeria, which were believed to had been fueled by his
online activities.
The statement said “the arrest of Mr. Simon Njoku Ekpa follows sustained diplomatic
pressure by the Nigerian government on Finland, to take action against his activities,
which were linked to violence and instability in the South-East of Nigeria. The request
for action featured during high level engagements between countries.”
The Ministry stated that the arrest of Ekpa, is a significant development in addressing the activities of IPOB, and also neutralizing the influence of transnational actors and “their impact on our national security.”
The Ministry promised to continue to monitor the legal proceedings and provide further updates as the case progresses.
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
Nigerian lawyers Ask to Collaborate with Chinese Colleagues in Law Relating to Investment and Dispute Resolution
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
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