The Nigerian Correctional Service has announced that the 2025 budget will include an increased feeding allowance for inmates aimed at aligning with current economic realities.
The spokesperson for the Nasarawa State NCoS Command, Stephen Abene, confirmed the adjustment on Tuesday, noting that the daily allowance per inmate would be raised from N750 to N1,150.
“The government recently approved N1,150 for feeding per inmate from N750, which will be captured in the 2025 budget. This upward review is to meet up with the present economic reality,” Abene said
Concerns about inmate welfare were heightened after a December 2023 statement by NCoS Controller General Haliru Nababa revealed that the food allowance per inmate was only N750 daily, while each of the 900 service dogs received N800 per day.
In August 2024, a video from the Afokang Custodial Centre in Calabar went viral. The video showed poorly prepared meals served to inmates.
The video sparked public criticism, prompting Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to order an investigation. In response, the NCoS stated that the conditions seen in the video did not reflect the overall standard across facilities, but it would nonetheless investigate.
Recently, reports emerged that 12 inmates at the Keffi Medium Security Custodial Centre in Nasarawa State died in September 2024 from an illness allegedly linked to inadequate nutrition.
