• Facility to accommodate 800 inmates initially, expand to 3,000
By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has commenced operations at the newly completed Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Olojuoro-Olomi, Ibadan, Oyo State, with the admission of 80 convicted male inmates into the facility.
The commencement of operations followed approval by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and a directive by the Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, MFR, mni, pcc, for the transfer of selected convicted inmates from designated custodial centres to the new facility.
According to the NCoS, the inmates were transferred pending the formal commissioning and full operational deployment of the centre.
The operationalisation of the facility marks a major addition to Nigeria’s custodial infrastructure, as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to expand custodial capacity, reduce congestion and provide safer, more secure and humane conditions for persons committed to correctional custody by competent courts.
The Olojuoro-Olomi facility currently has the capacity to accommodate 800 inmates, but has been designed with significant room for expansion. Upon completion and activation of additional sections, its capacity is expected to increase to 3,000 inmates.
The additional sections will include cells for awaiting-trial persons, female inmates and inmates on death row.
The centre is equipped with key infrastructure for modern custodial administration, including custodial cells and beddings, a modern gate lodge, perimeter fencing, a kitchen, medical facilities, administrative offices, staff accommodation and recreational facilities.
The Service said the facilities are intended to improve the security and welfare of both inmates and personnel while providing an enabling environment for the implementation of its mandate of humane custody, reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration.
Strategically located in the South-West, the Olojuoro-Olomi facility is also expected to improve the distribution and management of inmates within the region and ease pressure on existing custodial centres, particularly in neighbouring Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states.
The NCoS explained that the phased activation of the centre would allow it to progressively deploy its full capacity in line with operational requirements and the completion of the remaining sections.
The Service stressed that the provision of modern custodial infrastructure goes beyond the construction of physical structures, describing it as part of a broader correctional reform agenda aimed at ensuring that persons in custody are held securely, treated humanely and provided with opportunities for reformation, rehabilitation, skills development and eventual reintegration into society.
In a statement issued by Chief Superintendent of Corrections J.N. Osuji, Service Public Relations Officer, the NCoS said the operationalisation of the Olojuoro-Olomi Maximum Security Custodial Centre represents a significant investment in Nigeria’s correctional infrastructure.
The Service added that the development further demonstrates the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening public safety, improving custodial conditions and building a more effective, secure, humane and rehabilitation-oriented correctional system.
