More discharged inmates returning to prisons, controller laments

The Deputy Controller of Corrections in Lagos State, Dr. Michael Anugwua, has revealed that only one psychiatrist serves the entire Lagos Command, attending to the mental health needs of over 3,000 inmates across all correctional facilities.

He also noted that some inmates discharged also found their way back to prison by committing another offence.

Anugwua, who oversees the Kirikiri facility in Lagos, disclosed these during a programme organised by the Citadel Global Community Church’s Prison Ministry in Lagos on Saturday.

Anugwua emphasised that training and rehabilitative efforts within correctional centres must be improved to curb recidivism, noting that 60 per cent of the inmates had been incarcerated before.

“I discharged someone last year in August, in Onitsha, Anambra State, only to meet him again at Kirikiri when I was transferred here in December. He reoffended, was arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced again,” he explained.

“But we also have success stories. An inmate named Ayo, who was released two months ago, is now using his tailoring skills; he rented two rooms with the money he saved while in the correctional centre, and now runs his business. That’s the kind of outcome we want for every inmate,” he said.

Speaking on the theme, “Community-Based Solutions to Combat Recidivism,” Anugwua emphasised that the correctional centre was severely understaffed.

According to him, the Kirikiri Medium Custodial Centre currently holds over 3,000 inmates despite its capacity for 2,034 inmates and is managed by only 138 staff members.

“As of September 21, 2024, we have more than 3,000 inmates at the Kirikiri Medium Custodial Centre, and that does not include the 46 female inmates.

The head of department of Prison Ministry, Citadel Global Community Church, Babafemi Famujide, commended the speakers at the event.

Famujide said, “I believe that today has been a learning experience for a lot of us  and we couldn’t have had this better discussion which highlighted all the problems and the need to profer solutions.”

“We are at the mercy of the judiciary and the police. It’s not enough to just arrest, prosecute, convict, and sentence an inmate; we need help beyond that,” he said.

“Inmates need to be actively engaged to avoid mental health problems. When they are not, it affects their mental well-being.

“It breaks my heart every morning to see thousands of able-bodied men doing nothing, just wandering around, clustered together, talking about things that are of no benefit to them or society,” he added.

“It may shock you to learn that we have only one psychiatrist across all facilities in the Lagos Command handling mental health cases. This is grossly inadequate given the challenges we face daily,” Anugwua said.

Anugwua stressed the importance of providing education and vocational training for inmates to reintegrate into society without returning to crime.

“We don’t have standard educational facilities, skills acquisition centres, or vocational training programmes. However, we do have an Information Technology hub donated by Anchor Heritage,” he noted.

“There are 397 inmates wanting secondary school education, but we only have two classrooms, each accommodating just 30 to 35 students,” he said.

Additionally, Anugwua stated that about 90 inmates were seeking primary education, while 125 were interested in university-level education.

He appealed for private sector involvement in sponsoring vocational training, education, and extracurricular activities like sports.

“Corporate bodies need to help sponsor education, competitions, and training programmes.

“We also need tools and resource persons to teach and train the inmates. This will help inmates reconnect their minds to society.

“Though we have churches, prison ministries, and a few other organisations assisting us, we need more support,” he added.

The Executive Director of Prison Ministry, Benson Iwuagwu, said society played a role in creating criminals.

He highlighted the social stigma faced by ex-offenders and called for collaborative efforts to reintegrate them into society.

“Recidivism is not a solo activity; it is a social responsibility. Section 43 of the 1999 Act promotes restorative justice, and we need an annual campaign to address this issue,” Iwuagwu stated.

The founder of Halfway Home and Mobile Library, Joke Aladesanme, pointed out that no one was born a criminal, explaining that factors like broken homes, peer pressure, and a broken society often contributed to criminal behaviour.

“Many incarcerated people are gripped by fear, and if this fear is not addressed, it can lead to reoffending.

“We need pre-entry support for all inmates; they need a helping hand.

“Statistics show that the average Nigerian inmate spends five years in prison. If they don’t have support when they are released, they will likely re-offend,” she said.

The founder of Anchor Heritage, Bidemi Oladipupo, stated that prison ministry was about providing holistic support — spiritual, emotional, physical, and educational — and not just food.