Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola, has defended why he is seeking a meeting with governors on the possibility of the mass release of at least, 30 percent of prison inmates.
While the Federal Government yesterday appraised the state of custodial centers in the country, it was discovered that 70 percent (51,541) of their inmates are on awaiting trial.
There are currently 75,635 inmates in the nation’s 253 custodial centers.
The high number of Awaiting Trial Inmates (ATIs), said the government, does not only put pressure on the centers but poses a serious security threat to the nation.
Releasing some of the ATIs, therefore, is one of the proposed measures to tackle the challenge.
Already, the government is constructing three new custodial centers to help decongest the existing ones.
Aregbesola, who appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja, called for a review of the administration of the criminal justice system to provide a timeline for trials.
