On Tuesday 8th November 2016 the Senate urged the Federal Government to build more prisons and modernize existing ones. Moving a motion titled ‘‘Urgent need to decongest the Nigerian Prisons’’ Sen. Samuel Anyanwu (PDP:Imo) mentioned that the problem of prison congestion had become a major challenge constituting environmental hazard to the lives of inmates. He added that overpopulation in Nigerian prisons was as a result of the steady rise in the number of persons awaiting trial who constitute 70% of total inmates in prisons across the country. He further mentioned that section 35 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) demands that an accused person must be brought before a competent court within reasonable time or be released from custody two to three months from the date of arrest. He also mentioned the need for the prison environment and treatment of inmates to reflect human values and sensitivity to life and justice.
Legislators were unanimous in their call for prison reforms, notably Sen. Shehu Sani (APC:Kaduna) mention the need to involve the judiciary to ensure proper prison reforms. Following the motion, the Senate resolved accordingly to:
- Urge the Chief Justice of the Federation, Chief Judges of States and the Comptroller General of Prison to immediately conduct an exercise into the records of inmates in the Nigerian Prisons to ascertain, identify and review the cases of inmates under the awaiting trial list who have been dumped in prison custody without due and diligent prosecution of their cases beyond the period provided for in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for the purpose of granting them freedom;
- Urge the Attorney General of the Federation, Attorney General of States and Chief Judges of the States to exercise their constitutional right by setting free inmates whose trials have lingered or discontinued for lack of evidence or follow up by the prosecutor;
- Urge the President and State Governors to exercise their prerogative of mercy by decongesting the prison of inmates whose detention are manifestly unlawful and those who have been in detention for periods longer than they would have served if convicted for the alleged offences they are charged for in order to save prisons from becoming breeding grounds for epidemic;
- Direct its committees on Interior and Judiciary to visit Kuje and Suleja Prisons to take statistics of prisoners jailed for minor offences who cannot afford to pay fine;
- Urge police to ensure quick transfer of case file to Ministry of Justice of persons awaiting trial for prosecution;
- Urge state government to collaborate with the ministry of interior in relocating prisons situate in city centers due to urbanization to remote areas.
