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The Nigerian Correctional Service has announced that the 2025 budget will include provisions for the feeding allowance of new inmates. This move aims to address the ongoing challenges in adequately supporting the growing prison population across the country.
Stephen Abene, spokesperson for the Nasarawa State NCoS Command, told reporters on Tuesday that the revised feeding allowance for new inmates in the 2025 budget is a response to shifting economic realities. Abene emphasized that the measure was crucial to maintaining acceptable welfare standards amidst fluctuating prices.
He explained that the feeding allowance would be raised to N1,150 from N750 per day, a government-backed move designed to improve the nutritional value of inmates’ meals. This increase, he noted, aims to enhance the welfare of inmates by providing more balanced and adequate daily sustenance.
“The government recently approved N1,150 for feeding per inmate from N750, which will be captured in the 2025 budget. This upward review is to meet up with the present economic reality,” he told journalists.
Public scrutiny over inmate welfare surged following a December 2023 statement by NCoS Controller General Haliru Nababa, who revealed that the daily food allowance for prisoners was N750, compared to N800 allocated for each of the 900 service dogs under NCoS care. The disclosure sparked widespread calls for a reassessment of budget priorities within the correctional system.
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In August 2024, a viral video from the Afokang Custodial Centre in Calabar showed poorly prepared meals being served to inmates, sparking widespread criticism and prompting an investigation ordered by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The NCoS had then stated that what was seen in the video did not reflect the general standard of care across facilities but added that an investigation would be carried out.
Most recently, a report claimed that 12 inmates at the Keffi Medium Security Custodial Centre in Nasarawa State died in September 2024 from an illness linked to inadequate nutrition.
