We need more prisoners to boost farm work & community service programmes—Cross River state prison service

The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) in Cross River State has raised concerns over the declining number of inmates in its facilities, stating that the shortage is affecting farming and community service programmes.

Speaking at a two-day town hall meeting on the implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL), organised by the CLEEN Foundation, the Chief Superintendent of Corrections in charge of Statistics, Mr. Ibiang Otu, who represented the State Controller, Mr William Frai, revealed that the state currently has only 897 inmates across its six correctional facilities, the lowest in the South-South region of Nigeria, reports The Guardian.

“In the Adim facility, located in the central part of the state, where we have farm settlements, we currently have only 37 inmates instead of the official capacity of 200,” he said.

“We need more inmates to help with farming activities. The courts should convict more suspects so they can either boost or acquire farming skills. However, we only send young inmates under 30 years old, who have committed minor offenses, to the Adim facility for six months of agricultural training.”

While the Calabar Correctional Centre has exceeded its official capacity, housing 579 inmates instead of 450, other facilities are significantly underpopulated. Ikom has 69 inmates with a capacity of 200, Ogoja has 97 inmates with a capacity of 400, Obudu has 43 inmates with a capacity of 47, and Obubra has 127 inmates.

Otu attributed the declining inmate population to increased advocacy by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the frequent enforcement of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, which promotes non-custodial sentencing.

Additionally, he disclosed that 18 individuals are currently serving community service sentences instead of jail terms.

However, he noted that logistical challenges make it difficult to effectively monitor their compliance.