The Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, has inaugurated 116 operational vehicles for the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) to enhance service delivery.
While performing the ceremony in Abuja on Friday, the minister said that it was part of efforts taken to address the myriad of challenges confronting the prison system in Nigeria.
According to him, the vehicles comprise big and mini Green-Maria, ambulances, sewage trucks, water tankers and utility vans.
He said that the Federal Government was committed to the welfare of inmates and those responsible for correctional services.
“What we are doing today is not just about inauguration of these vehicles but also about the welfare of our inmates or those who are responsible for correctional services.
“We are also building new prisons in order to modernise the prisons system as some of our prison yards are more than 100 years old,” he said.
The minister said some of the modern prisons that the leadership was building included courts in which the service would not need vehicles to convey inmates to court.
He said that the vehicles would not only help them perform their responsibilities of taking prisoners but also ease their work in attending to the inmates.
The Controller General of NPS, Mr Ja’afaru Ahmed, said the projects and vehicles were part of the priority projects undertaken in prison formations across the country with a view to enhancing effectiveness and efficiency in the area of service delivery.
The controller-general noted that in the last three years, the service had embarked on the construction of a number of projects, such as prison cells, state headquarters complexes, students’ hostels, among others.
“These are in addition to the massive procurement and distribution of inmates’ uniforms, beds/bedding, assorted drugs and other sundry store items,“ he said.
Ahmed said the vehicles would be used to convey inmates to courts and aid speedy dispensation of justice as well as provide emergency health services and other operational activities for inmates.
The Chairman, House Committee on Interior, Mr Adams Jagaba, commended Nigeria Prisons Service for efficient service delivery.
He said that Ahmed’s tireless work had given the service a good name.
He urged the controller-general to ensure discipline among staff and promote them on merit to avoid sabotage.
