No ban on religious activities in custodial centres ― NCoS

The Management of Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has debunked claims that the Controller General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa has banned religious activities with inmates in the custodial centres across the country.

The Service through its spokesperson, Mr Francis Enobore said this was not true as “it is only a figment of the author’s imagination”.

Enobore in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said: “It has come to the notice of the management of Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) that some mischief makers are spreading unfounded statement purportedly made by the Controller General of Corrections (CGC), Haliru Nababa as an instruction to custodial centres across the country, banning religious activities with inmates.

“The Service in fact encourages all forms of genuine visits to inmates by relations and well-meaning individuals/groups in order to promote psycho-social support, which is pivotal to reformation and rehabilitation of inmates.

“To put the records straight, visits to custodial centres was temporarily suspended in April 2022 in compliance with National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) COVID-19 protocol in order to prevent the dreaded pandemic from entering Custodial Centres.

“Since the pandemic has not abated but continues to mutate, with the current virulent Omicron variant still uncaged, the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, in its wisdom, has advised the sustenance of preventive protocols which include, crowd control, strict monitoring of migration amongst others.

“Hence, the management of the NCoS is yet to relax the restriction on visits to Custodial Centres,” he said.

Enobore noted that while Custodial Centres in some developed climes suffered under the weight of the pandemic, custodial centres in Nigeria, with its overwhelming population phenomenon, is able to maintain zero infection status among the inmates.

He said this was made possible through strict adherence to various preventive measures.

“Similarly, it would be recalled that, through proactive and professional management of health issues amongst inmates, disease outbreaks like Ebola, Cerebral Spinal Meningitis (CSM), Lassa Fever just to mention a few, have been successfully prevented from entering custodial centres in Nigeria and no inmate has been lost to any of diseases.

“The CGC appreciates the cooperation of members of the public in complying with the preventive measures and assures that the health and complete well being of inmates in custody will continue to enjoy prime attention in his administration.

“While praying for an end to the pandemic, the Correction boss further assures that all restrictions will be lifted as soon as advice to this effect is received from the appropriate authorities,” Enobore said.

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