Redirect N500m for Inmate Welfare not payment of court fines – Falana tells Interior Minister

Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has called on the Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to reconsider the plan to allocate N500 million for paying court fines for 4,000 convicts.

Instead, Falana advised that the funds be directed towards improving the welfare of inmates in various correctional centers across the country.

In a statement titled “Interior Minister should review plan to pay fines of N500 million,” Falana, who is also the Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), emphasized the need for an alternative approach to decongest correctional facilities.

While commending the Interior Minister for his initiative to decongest the correctional centers, Falana stressed the importance of reevaluating the plan. He suggested that the N500 million, which was allocated for paying fines, could be more beneficial if used to enhance the well-being of inmates while considering alternative decongestion measures.

Specifically, Falana recommended that the Minister appeal to President Bola Tinubu and the 36 state governors to exercise their prerogative of mercy by granting pardon to the 4,000 convicts due to their inability to pay the fines. This would expedite their release from custody.

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The statement also referenced a previous prison decongestion policy that saw the release of 7,813 inmates from Nigeria’s correctional centers at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Furthermore, Falana encouraged the Minister to request the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chief Judges of the various states, including the Federal Capital Territory, to exercise their powers under the Criminal Justice (Release from Custody) (Special Provisions) Act. This would involve ordering the release of inmates whose detention is manifestly unlawful or who have been in custody for periods exceeding the maximum imprisonment term they could have served if convicted of their respective offenses.

Additionally, Falana drew attention to the situation of numerous inmates held at Ikoyi Correctional Centre, whose case files were destroyed when the Magistrate Court and High Court buildings were damaged during the #EndSARS protests in October 2020. He urged the Interior Minister to secure the immediate release of these inmates, given that the state can no longer prosecute them due to the destruction of their case files.

Falana’s statement underscores the importance of considering alternative methods for decongesting correctional centers and addressing the welfare of inmates, especially those in challenging circumstances.