Correctional Service gets 451 vehicles in 5 years

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has procured 451 operational vehicles in the last five years in order to solve its logistic challenges.

While commissioning the newly procured 59 vehicles at the NCoS headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari since 2015 had ushered an unprecedented development into the country which has had an effect on the NCoS.

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“The progressive changes evident at the NCoS are as a result of deliberate efforts of the administration to address the neglect of the past, with improved budgetary provisions, infrastructure upgrade, improved logistics and staff and inmates’ welfare, among others,” he said.

The Service was challenged in the area of logistics which affected its capacity to deliver on its statutory responsibility of conveying inmates to courts at the right time.

This problem impacted negatively on the inmates’ access to justice as well as the administration of criminal justice in the country.

But Aregbesola said; “the administration wasted no time in taking steps to redeem the situation.

“Hence, the resolve to release funds for the procurement of vehicles on an annual basis since 2015 with a view to bridging the missing gap.”

Controller General of Corrections, Ja’afaru Ahmed said the vehicles commissioned consisted of 36 Mini Green Maria Vehicles, 18 Escort Duty Vehicles and five Customized Green Maria Buses.

He said 54 of the vehicles were procured with the 2019 appropriation while the remaining five were part of the 2018 appropriation.

While praising Buhari for his special interest in NCoS, he said between 2016 and 2018, the Service commissioned a total of 397 vehicles, consisting of 218 vehicles with 2016 Appropriation, 49 vehicles with 2017 Appropriation and 130 vehicles with 2018 Appropriation.

“The procurement of these 54 vehicles being commissioned today, therefore, brings the total number of vehicles procured by the Nigerian Correctional Service under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to 451,” Ja’afaru noted.

He, however, said the Service still needs more vehicles to meet the expected targets of conveying inmates almost on daily basis to the over 5,000 courts spread across the country.