Akpabio: We’ve had more jailbreaks since prisons were renamed correctional centres

Senate President Godswill Akpabio says there have been more jailbreaks in the country since the Nigerian Prison Service was renamed to the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Akpabio spoke on the floor of the senate on Tuesday while commenting on two pieces of legislation billed for concurrence.

The bills for concurrence were one, to repeal and enact the law establishing Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and another to repeal the Fire Service Act and enact Federal Fire and Rescue Service.

Abba Moro, senate minority leader, argued that there was no need to change the name because the “rescue component” is already part of the responsibility of the fire service.

“I do not think there is a need for that,” Moro said.

In his response, the senate president alluded to the 2019 law that changed the name of the Nigerian Prison Service to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

Akpabio said since the name change, there have been more jailbreaks, hence a need to examine such laws.

“This is something to be looked at. When you are convicted, you are supposed to learn a skill,” Akpabio said.

“But since we changed the name to the correctional centre, there have been more jailbreaks.”

In 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the bill that changed the name of the Nigerian Prison Service to Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

The law provides that the correctional service is split into custodial service and non-custodial service.

In the non-custodial service, convicts are eligible for community service, probation, and parole.

Since Buhari signed the bill into law, more than 1,000 inmates have escaped from correctional centres across the country.

On April 25, 119 inmates escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger state, following a downpour.