The Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has begun workshop for zonal/states prisons officers, to improve standard operating procedure in Nigerian prisons.
The Controller-General of the NPS, Mr Ahmed Ja’afaru, declared open the four-day workshop for the officers on Monday in Abuja.
According to him, the training will enhance the capacities of officers, especially in the area of facility maintenance.
Represented by Deputy Controller, NPS , Works and Logistics, Mr Charles Ahaotu, he said that the workshop would also enhance the professional competence of Prisons officials in line with international best practice.
Ja’afaru said that the NPS was glad to tap from the over 150 year’s experience of the ICRC and humanitarian service, especially as it relates to enhancing living conditions in detention facilities across the country.
“The NPS-ICRC partnership has been on for over four years now.
“This relationship endorsed by the CGP through a signed bi-agency Memorandum of Understanding follows an executive approval by Mr President in 2011.
“This MoU entails that the ICRC visits all prisons and detention centres in Nigeria on a supportive atmosphere,’’ he said.
He said that as part of plans to upgrade facilities in the prisons, the government had approved N409 million to upgrade various water and sewage facilities in 46 prisons in the 2016 budget, while N150 million was expended in 2017 to sustain improvement of habitat for inmates.
Earlier, the Prisons Adviser to ICRC, Mr Robert Omita, said the training was aimed at improving life threatening dilapidated structures as well as increase concentration in monitoring prison inmates’ conditions.
He expressed optimism that the partnership with the NPS will go a long way in addressing the infrastructure decay in most prisons in the country. (NAN)
