By Palma Ileye
Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has commenced operations at the newly completed Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Olojuoro-Olomi, Ibadan, Oyo State, with the admission of 80 convicted male inmates into the facility.
The operationalisation of the centre followed approval by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and a directive by the Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, for the transfer of selected convicted inmates from designated custodial centres to the new facility.
According to the Service, the phased commencement of operations was aimed at expanding custodial capacity, reducing congestion in existing facilities and providing a safer, more secure and humane environment for inmates.
The centre currently has the capacity to accommodate 800 inmates, while its full capacity is expected to increase to 3,000 when additional sections are completed and activated.
The additional sections will include facilities for awaiting-trial inmates, female inmates and inmates on death row.
The NCoS said the facility is equipped with modern custodial cells and beddings, a gate lodge, perimeter fencing, kitchen, medical facilities, administrative offices, staff accommodation and recreational facilities.
It said the infrastructure would support the effective implementation of its mandate of humane custody, reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates into society.
The Service said the strategic location of the centre in the South-West would strengthen the distribution and management of inmates in the region and help ease pressure on existing custodial centres, particularly in Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states.
The phased activation, it added, would allow the Service to progressively deploy the centre’s full capacity in line with operational requirements and the completion of the remaining sections.
The Service Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Corrections, Jane Osuji in a press release signed and issued on Thursday said the operationalisation of the facility was part of broader correctional reforms aimed at strengthening public safety and improving custodial conditions.
She said modern custodial infrastructure was not only about providing physical structures, but also creating an environment where inmates could receive opportunities for reformation, rehabilitation, skills development and eventual reintegration into society.
The NCoS said the Olojuoro-Olomi facility represented a significant investment in the country’s correctional infrastructure and demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to building a more effective, secure, humane and rehabilitation-oriented correctional system.
