The federal government has inaugurated 39 Operational Vehicles and five bullet resistance Guard booths for the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, at its headquarters in Abuja.

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo performed the inauguration of the Operational Vehicles and the Guardbooths in Abuja.

The inauguration was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services, Maj Gen A M Jibril (rtd), and Representatives of the Chairman Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Chairman of House Committee on Interior, Hon Chinedu Ogah.

Others at the event are the Acting Controller-General of Nigerian Correctional Service, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, the Comptroller-General of Immigration Service, NIS Mrs Kemi Nanna Nandap and the Representatives of the Commandant General of NSCDC and Federal Fire Service, FFS.

Speaking at the event, the Minister said the Operational Vehicles would be distributed to some of the 256 Correctional facilities across the country, while the Guardbooths would be mounted at the Headquarters of NCoS, the Kuje Custodial Centre, Portharcourt Custodial Centre, Kano Custodial Centre and Ikoyi Custodial Centre, Lagos.

Dr Tunji-Ojo said the equipment is part of the comprehensive reformatory policy of the present administration to change the narratives of the Correctional Service, asserting that President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated his commitment in no small measures to the welfare of inmates and para-military officers and men in the country.

Tunji-Ojo said no administration in Nigeria has demonstrated commitment and given much attention to the NCoS like President Tinubu, emphasising that recently the President approved the establishment of a Para-military Academy for the Para-military institutions in the country.

Tunji-Ojo said: “President Bola Tinubu has done so much in terms of the welfare of inmates and officers and men of Nigeria Para-military Services. In less than two years in office, the administration has promoted over 50,000 personnel. Now, the government has commenced work on the 2025 promotion…and by March, it will be announced.

“All backlogs of promotions in the Para-military Services have been cleared and the era of career stagnation has ended. The ongoing expansion of structures of the Correctional facilities across the country is part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President.

“There are 256 Correctional facilities across the country. The Suleja medium security custodial was established as far back as 1914, and urbanisation has caught up with many of the custodial centres. So there are plans to relocate 29 out of the 256 Custodial Centres in the country.

“President Bola Tinubu inherited some of these liabilities and he is not running away from addressing the challenges. For instance, the Agodi Ibadan custodial centre, Ikoyi maximum security custodial centre, Enugu custodial centre, Akwa Ibom and Suleja custodial centres would be relocated because urbanisation has caught up with them.”

The Minister said the reformation, rehabilitation and transformation of the NCoS would be pursued with vigour by the present administration, and praised President Tinubu for approving all memos regarding the Para-military Services.

While the Minister urged the personnel of the Para-military Services to show patriotism and discipline regarding their commitment to duty, he said the facilities provided are meant to ward off internal threats and aggression for Nigeria’s internal security and peace.

The Acting Controller-General of the NCoS, Sylvester Nwakuche said the operational vehicles would be distributed across the country to support the movements of inmates and those awaiting trials from Courts back to the custodial centres.

According to Nwakuche, there are currently 80,066 inmates in all the 256 custodial centres, regretting that 53, 225 of them are those awaiting trials.

He said the acquisition of the vehicles and other equipment confirmed the commitment of the present administration to raise the standards of professionalism in the Service and ensure that everything done for the service is in tandem with global standards and practices.