Nigeria Spends More On Dogs Than Inmates, Prison Service Tells Lawmakers

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has disclosed that the federal government allocates N800 daily for the upkeep of each of its dogs, while it spends N750 daily to feed an inmate.

The Controller General of NCoS, Haliru Nababa, made the revelation when he appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Interior on Thursday to defend the 2024 budget.

“The Nigerian Correctional Service has written the Minister of Interior requesting for the review of the amount we are using to feed the inmates from N750 per day to N3, 000 per day. We are still waiting for the approval,’ he said.

He said the service was seeking the assistance of the National Assembly to approve the increment.

Nababa gave the total number of inmates in 2023 as 81,354 nationwide while 53,352 of them were awaiting trial.

“We have made provision for the feeding of inmates, dogs and staff on training in six training institutions across the country. The money is grossly inadequate.

“The budget for feeding each of them per day is N750 at N250 per meal, per inmate.

“We also have about 100 dogs that we feed with N800 per day,” he said.

Meanwhile, the shocking disparity immediately sparked outrage from the committee, with members questioning the rationale behind prioritizing canine nutrition over that of human well-being.

The committee further pressed Nababa for details of the inmates’ meals, but he was unable to provide the menu chart.

This, coupled with the insufficient budget, raised concerns about the quality and quantity of food being served to prisoners.

Committee chairman Adams Oshiomhole expressed strong disapproval of the situation, questioning the treatment of innocent citizens awaiting trial.

He emphasized the need for humane treatment and proper care within correctional facilities.

He said, “53,352 or more are not convicted yet, they are awaiting trial. They are not guilty of any offence known to law. They are innocent under our laws. For an innocent Nigerian who is being held in a correctional home, N250 per meal is grossly inadequate. I wonder what you are feeding them with. They are obviously underfed.

“The Minister of Interior said yesterday that the NCS rather than being correctional is dehumanising. I am surprised that the 2024 budget is still based on old figures. I am surprised the CG cannot, based on the market forces, present before us, the realistic amount that could feed an innocent Nigerian who has not been pronounced guilty by any court of law. You mean the chart is so complicated that you will need to read a book to tell us?

“Many of them are there on an offence they knew nothing about. However, the system has put them under your care.

“Somebody said if Mandela was in a Nigerian prison for 27 years, he would have lost his sanity by the time he was released to govern South Africa. Our prisons are meant to correct the behaviours of the people. They are not condemnation centres. They are not to dehumanised.”