The Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) ,Ja’afaru Ahmed has said that the Service is now empowered to reject prisoners if the facilities are over stretched.
To this end, he explained , the officer in charge would have to inform all the relevant stakeholders within the criminal justice such as the Chief Justice of the state, Commissioner of police, Prerogative of Mercy, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other law enforcement agencies until three months elapse within which the facility can accommodate more prisoners.
The CG who made the disclosure while fielding questions from newsmen at the 25th annual general meeting of the Prisons multipurpose Corporative Society (PRISCO) in Kaduna, said the development was under the new Act that gave birth to NCoS.
He also informed that the NCoS is being repositoned for effective service delivery and to bring Nigeria’s human rights records at par with international best practices.
The Comptroller General said the correctional centres have a lot of condemned convicts lamenting that approving authorities are not willing to sign, and that if the condemned convict has exhausted his appeal and 10 years elapsed, he can be committed to life imprisonment.
He further disclosed that there are boards in place now ,such as the mental review board, probation board, parole board and the community service which will help greatly in addressing several challenges hitherto experienced under the NPS, adding that the changes that comes with the new nomenclature are fundamental and will be implemented to the later.
On the Cooporative Sociery, he disclosed that in view of the commitment towards a speedy implementation of the enabling laws, the NCoS Corporative will henceforth be known as “Correctional Corporative Society” ( COCOS).
” It is quite gratifying to note that this Corporative has grown to become a highly dependable welfare package that has continued to provide Succour to serving, deceased and retired personnel and their families “.
Earlier, the General Manager of the Corporative Society and Controller of Corrections , Lydia Abraham Dauda said the PRISCO annual board of directors,’ meeting was to review and access the activities of the Executive Committee of the Corporative Society, provide a well defined direction and strategically set up new goals for business year ahead.
She disclosed that the fact that PRISCO Micro Finance Bank Registry is fully established , frantic efforts are on ground to see how dividends could be paid.
” I will wish to inform you that a silver lining lies ahead of PRISCO, if only we remain focused, determined and diligent in delivering our duties “.
