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State Governments Can Offset, Waive Minor Fines Owed By Inmates – Aregbesola
The Federal Government has revealed that state governors can offset or grant waivers to inmates with fines less than N1 million.
This is according to the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, during the commissioning of a 20-bed space medical facility at Port Harcourt maximum security custodial centre.
Aregbesola said while the Federal Government is finding long time solutions to the challenge of prison decongestion, the State Government can in the meantime provide basic supports, like offsetting the meager fines and debts, building court houses at the correctional services premises or try the defendants virtually from the Correctional Centres for speedy determination of cases.
He held that some of the inmates are held behind bars for minor offences that can be easily waved by the states.
The Minister further stated that he recently asked the comptroller of Correctional centres to compile the list of inmates whose reason for incarceration is a fine or a debt not more than one million naira that are meant to be paid to the state governments.
According to him, about 5,000 inmates where shortlisted under this category and most of them have stayed long enough in the care of the Federal Government to consume foods worth more than they are supposed to pay as fines and debt to the states.
According to him, in Rivers State, there are about 22 of such inmates and the 22 of them are collectively owing a little above 3million naira, an amount he thinks the State Government can offset or wave for the inmates to be freed.
The minister noted that apart from reducing the financial burden on the Federal Government, such decisions by the state will also help in decongesting the correctional centres.
He said for instance, the Maximum facility in Port Harcourt was built 1,800 inmates, but as of May 12, 2023 the centre was holding 3,100 inmates.
While emphasizing that the situation in Port Harcourt is a reflection of the cases in most of the facilities across the country, the minister said Additionally, the Federal Government is building 6 mega facilities with at least 3,000 capacity in the six geopolitical zones to further decongest the existing facilities.
The one for the South-South is located in Bori in Khana Local Government Area of the Ogoni ethnic group in Rivers State.
• King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall
News
Alleged N2.2bn fraud: Ngige gets bail, trials continue on January 28
The EFCC alleges that Ngige used his ministerial position between 2015 and 2023 to award contracts unfairly, divert funds, and enrich himself and associates.
Former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has been granted bail by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gwarimpa.
He faces eight counts of charges bordering on abuse of office, contract fraud, and acceptance of kickbacks from contractors linked to the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund.
In Thursday’s ruling, Justice Maryam Hassan adopted the terms of the administrative bail earlier granted by the EFCC.
The court ordered Ngige to produce a surety who must be a serving Federal Government director.
The surety is required to deposit travel documents with the court registrar, as Ngige claims his passport was lost.
The surety must also present landed property with a valid certificate of occupancy within the Federal Capital Territory.
The EFCC alleges that Ngige used his ministerial position between 2015 and 2023 to award contracts unfairly, divert funds, and enrich himself and associates.
The trial is scheduled to commence on January 28, 2026.
News
BREAKING: Senate Confirms Former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, Reno Omokri, Femi Fani-Kayode, and Others as Ambassadors
#The Nigerian Senate has confirmed a list of high-profile non-career ambassadorial nominees submitted by President Bola Tinubu, including former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, social media influencer and former presidential aide Reno Omokri, and ex-Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK).
The confirmations followed screenings by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which cleared the nominees amid some procedural debates but ultimately recommended their approval.
Other prominent figures confirmed include former Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau, ex-governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and several former senators and political allies.
The approvals form part of a broader diplomatic restructuring by the Tinubu administration, with the nominees expected to be deployed to key missions abroad to strengthen Nigeria’s international relations.
Sources indicate that the list, which includes a mix of career and non-career diplomats totaling around 68, addresses long-standing vacancies in Nigeria’s foreign missions.
The nominations had sparked public debate earlier, with critics questioning the inclusion of politically controversial figures, while supporters highlighted their experience in public service and loyalty to national interests.
The confirmed ambassadors-designate will receive their specific postings after formal letters of credence from the president.
This development marks a significant step in revitalizing Nigeria’s diplomatic presence globally.
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