Senate President Godswill Akpabio has raised concerns about the rise in jailbreak incidents since the Nigerian Prison Service was renamed the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Speaking during a session at the Senate on Tuesday, Akpabio said that jailbreaks have increased since the name change.
News About Nigeria reports that Akpabio’s concern came during discussions on two legislative bills scheduled for concurrence.
While one bill sought to repeal the Fire Service Act and enact the Federal Fire and Rescue Service, the other sought to repeal and enact the law creating the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
During the debate, Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro questioned the necessity of changing the name, arguing that the ‘rescue component’ is already within the scope of the fire service’s responsibilities.
Responding to Moro’s comment, Senate President Akpabio said it is important to examine the implications of legislative changes.
According to him, the objective of correctional centres is to rehabilitate inmates by providing them with skills.
However, Akpabio noted the concerning trend of increased jailbreaks since the name change to the correctional service.
The name change from the Nigerian Prison Service to the Nigerian Correctional Service was enacted in 2019 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The new law introduced a division between the custodial service and non-custodial service within the correctional system.
The non-custodial service includes provisions for community service, probation, and parole, which facilitate inmate rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
However, since the enactment of the law, there has been a notable increase in jailbreak incidents across the country.
On April 25, News About Nigeria reported that no fewer than 118 inmates managed to escape from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger State, located in north-central Nigeria.
The escape was facilitated by a heavy rainstorm that wreaked havoc on the facility’s infrastructure.
According to the statement released at the time, the rainfall severely damaged several parts of the prison facility, including causing huge damage to the perimeter fence, which ultimately led to the inmates’ escape.
