By Jesusemen Oratokhai
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has declared a zero-tolerance stance on corruption in Nigeria’s correctional centres, vowing to transform them from punishment camps to true rehabilitation facilities.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at a public hearing on alleged corruption within the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Tunji-Ojo condemned the deep-seated rot in the system and pledged sweeping reforms.
“The core duty of a correctional officer is to rehabilitate, restore, and reform; not condemn,” he stated.
The minister stressed that correctional centres should empower inmates through education, vocational training, and mental health support, rather than perpetuate cycles of abuse and neglect.
“This is not 1825! Being incarcerated does not make anyone less human.”
Under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, he assured that correctional officers would receive adequate resources, training, and funding to carry out their duties effectively.
Vowing to purge the system of corrupt officials profiting from inmates’ suffering, he declared:
“My responsibility is to move those benefiting from a corrupt system to the path of perpetual unhappiness.
Tunji-Ojo urged the investigative panel to conduct a thorough probe into prison corruption.
