The Ministry of Interior has revised its 2024 pledge to decongest prisons in Nigeria, taking the number down from a previously impossible 170,500 to 47,500.
This development comes weeks after FIJ reported oddities on the federal government’s Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU) app.
On the platform launched on April 8, the Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo-led Interior Ministry published 170,500 as its 2024 target for freed inmates.
The flaw with this figure was, according to data available on the website of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) at the time, Nigeria had about 82,587 inmates in correctional facilities across the country. Of this number, 27,113 were convicted criminals, leaving 55,474 awaiting trial.
READ MORE: HALF A LOAF: After FIJ’s Story, FG Makes Minor Updates to CDCU Portal
This meant if the ministry was to hit the target, it would need to set more than double the country’s inmates free.
It was not the first time the CDCU’s app would get an update. After FIJ’s September report, several ministries updated their data to accommodate citizens’ feedback and more realistic targets.
The app still does not have links to any ministry’s projects embarked upon or delivered. It only contains deliverables and promises, making it difficult for users to review.
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One reply on “After FIJ’s Story, Interior Ministry Revises Figures, Pledges to Free 47,500 Inmates”
You people at FIJ are holding the government accountable. Thank you for the good work.