Under Tinubu, Nigeria’s Correctional System Gets Boost with Modern Tech and Medical Staff

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has stated that incidents of jailbreaks in Nigeria have declined under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu compared to previous years. Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Tunji-Ojo dismissed reports claiming that as many as seven jailbreaks had occurred since 2023, clarifying that only three significant incidents were recorded—in Nasarawa, Niger, and Borno states.

He explained that the Nasarawa case involved only a few inmates, the Niger incident in Suleja was triggered by a collapsed fence, and the Borno escape was caused by flooding from a dam disaster. He stressed that the Maiduguri incident was unavoidable due to loss of life and massive damage to the facility.

Tunji-Ojo revealed that lessons from the Suleja incident led to the rapid upgrade and digitalization of the biometric system, now linked to all security agencies for faster response and inmate tracking. On a recent escape involving 16 inmates, he said seven had been recaptured while efforts were ongoing to apprehend the remaining nine.

Highlighting improvements in correctional facility management, the minister disclosed that 12 out of Nigeria’s 246 correctional centers are undergoing rehabilitation, and that President Tinubu approved the employment of 50 doctors, 100 nurses, and the deployment of NYSC medical corps members to prisons.

He also pointed out that with correctional management now on the concurrent legislative list, states are encouraged to establish their own facilities, as 72% of inmates are state offenders and 67% are awaiting trial, yet the federal government bears most of the operational cost.

According to Tunji-Ojo, the Tinubu administration is focused on results, not excuses, and has significantly strengthened facility security and resource allocation in just two years.