As part of efforts to decongest correctional facilities and prepare inmates for reintegration into the society, the Federal Government has commenced construction of modern 3,000-capacity custodial villages with skill acquisition and behavioural modifications centres in each of the six geopolitical zones.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed this Monday at a Lagos Business School virtual forum themed ‘Nigeria in Challenging Times: The Contributions of the Ministry of Interior and Opportunities for Private Sector Participation.’
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On attacks on correctional facilities in the country, he said the ministry was doing everything possible to re-arrest escapees and would soon launch a taskforce for this purpose.
Aregbesola also said that 1.35million passport booklets were printed and distributed by the Nigeria Immigration Service in 2021 “against the 764,293 booklets in 2020.”
He said there was increasing demand for passports which was mounting pressure on processing structure and resources.
He said the ministry was working to identify unscrupulous elements within the Nigerian Immigration Service and had initiated a whistleblowing and mystery shopping process to catch such officers unawares.
He said the Nigeria Visa Policy launched in 2020 had expanded the visa category from 6 to 79 and simplified the application process.