The Federal Government has approved a 50 percent increase in the feeding allowance for inmates in Nigeria, effective from August 2024. This measure aims to address rising food costs and improve inmate welfare.

The spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Service, Abubakar Umar, confirmed the increase during an interview with PUNCH Online on Thursday.

He described it as the “first phase” of a broader review intended to enhance living conditions for inmates.

“The inmate feeding allowance has increased by 50 percent, effective August 2024. This is just the first phase,” Umar said.

He added that further reviews would follow, particularly due to the soaring cost of food.

“The FG will also consider additional reviews. This is just the first phase. Normally, there is a period when inmate feeding allowances are reviewed. Following a presentation during the budget process, the FG deemed it necessary to adjust the allowance due to the rising cost of food. Further adjustments are expected,” Umar explained.

According to the latest figures from the NCoS, Nigeria currently has 84,575 inmates.

For the 2024 budget year, the NCoS has been allocated over N24.4 billion for catering materials and foodstuffs.

The need for an increase in the feeding allowance has been a public concern, especially after it was revealed in December 2023 by the Controller General of the NCoS, Haliru Nababa, that N750 was allocated per day for each prisoner, while N800 was spent daily on feeding each of the 900 dogs in the service.

Inmate welfare issues gained further attention recently after a viral video from the Afokang Custodial Centre in Calabar, Cross River State, showed inmates being served poorly cooked meals.

This sparked public outrage and led to an investigation into the conditions at the facility, ordered by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

The NCoS confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, emphasizing that the incident does not reflect the overall standards of care and commitment to inmate welfare across the country.

Punch