Inwalomhe Donald
IN a bid to ensure national security and adequate profiling of prison inmates, the Nigerian government has captured the biometric data of all inmates in Nigerian correctional centres. The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has placed emphasis on protecting the security of our nation–our people, our territory and our way of life—which is the foremost mission and constitutional duty. The minister has collected the biometric data of more than 75,000 inmates in Nigeria’s correctional centres and linked the data to the national security database. In the face of several attacks on the correctional Clcentres, the Correctional Service has introduced software to collect the biometric and personal profiles of the inmates and link them to the national security database. Through biometric interoperability with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior shares critical biometric information using advanced data filtering and privacy controls to support the national security, defense, and justice missions. Aregbesola is the first minister of interior in Nigeria to collect and link the data of inmates to national security database.
The Minister is helping the police to track the fleeing inmates from correctional centres.. In the face of several attacks on Nigeria Correctional Centres, the minister has assured Nigerians that there is no hiding place for any inmate that escaped from correctional facilities. He said: “We have the records of all the inmates, including their biometric data, which are being forwarded to Interpol. This will make it impossible for them to travel, apply for any travel document, engage in any financial transaction or present themselves at any border post in any country in the world. They are fugitives and will remain on the run until we apprehend them; we shall surely apprehend them.” He said security agencies were already on their trail and would not rest until “they are able to bring in the last one dead or alive.”
The biometric database was created to checkmate the excesses of jailbreak from the fallout of the #EndSARS movement. It was first rolled out as a test in late 2020. By implementing a modern electronic database that captures prisoners’ biometric details, Nigeria can achieve a more efficient management of the correctional system with reduced errors. Expectedly, with each jail break, the NCoS, formerly known as the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), has remained in the eye of the storm. The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) says it is on the trail of over 3,000 inmates who are still at large, having escaped during the various attacks on its custodial centres in the years 2021 and 2022. Many of the fleeing inmates have been arrested. Several custodial centres from Oyo, Owerri to Jos and others were attacked by violent terror gangs in the last 12 months with thousands of inmates escaping their cells. However, the Service, in collaboration with sister agencies, had rearrested many of those who initially escaped.
Today, 71 percent of inmates are awaiting trial, while 29 percent are convicted inmates. Now, 68, 901 is the total inmate population, 19, 667 are convicts, while 49,234 are awaiting trial. “The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has 12 Special Study Centres in locations across the country with 2 more to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2022. A total of 970 inmates are currently studying various courses at diploma, undergraduate, post graduate with 5 at PhD levels. The Service has come up with a good number of strategies to contain the spate of attacks on Custodial Centres and neutralize any threat to security. These include robust strategic engagements with sister security agencies for reinforcement, entreaties to government for increased budgetary provision and continuous recruitment of personnel, deployment of technology, harmonization of inmates’ biometrics, improved staff welfare, infrastructure upgrade, capacity building and lots more.
Correctional Service employees can use a desktop application for all prisoner activities such as admission, sending prisoners to court hearings, transferring prisoners to another prison or hospital, release on bail or acquittal. When new inmates arrive, their fingerprints will be run in the database to see if they are already part of the system. Personal details will also be collected. The biometric database was officially introduced by Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola in late 2020. Correctional centres officials have collected and stored the fingerprints and photographs of inmates as well as visitors to correctional centres across Nigeria. The system of storing biometric data was started last year, 2020 after officials realised that a number of criminal conspiracies are being hatched within the prison premises, sources in the prisons . Biometric data have been extended to all the major prisons in the state to maintain data about criminals and their visitors. Nigeria Correctional Service has collected and stored personal profiles of nearly all inmates and visitors. This will help the police keep track of every criminal. Nigeria Correctional Service will share the biometric data with the police whenever needed.
The biometric equipment and a small camera are attached to a computer. When a prisoner enters the premises, he or she will be frisked and asked to sit in front of the computer. The camera will take a photograph of the prisoner and the left thumb impression will be recorded using the special equipment. The same equipment is also at the visitors hall in the prison. A prison official at the visitor hall collects the thumb impression and the photo of each visitor. Criminals and gangsters are meeting their associates in prison and planning crimes. If any gangster or ex-convict is meeting a criminal in prison, their personal profile will be entered in the computer. Once they give their fingerprint, the system will show their profile. Nigeria Correctional Service can keep track of criminals and curb crimes before they are sentenced. Officials say the system has been strengthened and is foolproof. “When a prisoner gets bail, the jail officials will analyse the records stored in the system and the court records mentioned in the bail order. If both details do not match, the prisoner will not be let off.
Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior closely monitored the software installed to maintain the biometric and personal profiles of the prisoners and visitors. The nation’s correctional facilities frequently come under violent attacks leading to jailbreaks and attempted jailbreaks due to worsening insecurity and in the face of running of various custodial centres. Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), formerly known as the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), has continued to remain in the limelight as one of the most focal government agencies in recent times due to the growing trend in jailbreaks. Since September 7, 2010 when about 50 gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram insurgents attacked the Bauchi prisons, leading to the freedom of over 721 inmates and the killing of about five others, the country has continued to witness more incidents of prison breaks. Four incidents of jailbreaks occurred in 2014, beginning from October 10 when gunmen attacked Kirikiri Medium Prisons in Lagos State, leaving at least 20 inmates dead and 80 others injured while twelve others escaped. Barely a month after that, the Federal Medium Security Prisons in Koto-Karffi, Kogi State was attacked by gunmen as about 144 inmates escaped the prison while one was killed during the incident.
- Donald writes in via [email protected]
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