For actualization of prison decongestion, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has urged all security agencies and judiciary to speed up pending investigation of suspects in correctional centres and their trials.
In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Nelson Chukwudi, the governor emphasised that speedy investigation and trial would solve the problem of congestion in the correctional centres across the federation.
Fubara, who received the House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions, led by its Chairman, Hon. Chinedu Ogah, in his office in Port Harcourt on Monday, said: “I know that the State Government, from time to time, I mean, through the Chief Judge, had visited the Correctional Centres.
“And after evaluation, I have seen a few letters he has written about what he saw on his visit, and having confirmed and accessed a few of the inmates, he had granted them either bail or pardon.
“But this issue goes back to one major thing, institutions that we call the Police Force and the Judiciary. Most of these issues that we are talking about; overcrowding of the Correctional Centres, might be due to delay in the trial of their cases. That is the truth.
“The other aspect is that you arrest somebody wrongfully or whatever, and the process of investigation takes two, three or four years. So, we need to make sure that our institutions are functioning effectively.
“And, if they are functioning effectively, I strongly believe that most of these issues of over-crowding of the Correctional Centres won’t be there.
“But, this is where we are, and we will continue to encourage our system to do it better. Maybe, if we had made these complaints earlier, some of the corrections would have been done.
“So, now that we are saying it, I believe they are hearing, and they will expedite action to make sure that some of these things are put to check.”
In his address, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions, Hon. Chinedu Ogah, stated that they were in the state for oversight function in assessing the correctional centres in the state.
He said: “Most of these people(inmates) are not yet convicted, and some of them are not being justified: what the case is all about.
“The major issue is the negligence aspect of the security, they don’t care how to reintegrate, reform, bring them back into the society so they don’t indulge in crime.
“If we really look into it, we find out that is the only way we can ensure the security of lives and property in this country, by making sure that those we feel have already committed crimes are reformed and reintegrated into the society by giving them skills and opportunity so that they can have something to feed on, and not go back to crime.
“And Your Excellency, from our records, we found out that since your assumption of office, there has been reduction of crime rate in Rivers State because of what you have done by empowering the youths in all the local governments economically, in all the wards by giving them a sense of belonging too. We have to commend you for that.
“Rivers State is one of the places where the construction of 3,000-capacity centres is ongoing in Bori, and this construction has got up to 60 percent.
“But Your Excellency, you know the truth, Federal Government cannot do it alone, and as a Governor that knows the problems of the people, that is our essence of coming to you to partner with the Committee on Reformatory Institutions to know what we can do together to relocate that correctional service centre.”