By Femi Ogunshola
Dr Kayode Ajulo, a constitutional lawyer, has urged the Federal Government to introduce electronic tags for inmates awaiting trial in correctional centers to ease overcrowding.
Ajulo, who made the call in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, said this would also expedite judicial processes and optimise the utilisation of government resources.
Ajulo said the current state of Nigeria’s correctional centres system was burdened by high number of inmates awaiting trial.
He said that a significant proportion of those in the centres had not yet been convicted.
According him, it not only promotes overcrowding, but also places an enormous financial strain on government resources.
He said the primary objective of his proposal was to introduce a comprehensive system of prison electronic tags for inmates awaiting trial.
Ajulo further said that to effectively implement the prison electronic tags system, step such as, needs Assessment, collaborative partnerships, legislative framework, pilot programme, capacity building, among others must be considered.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) designate said the successful implementation of the prison electronic tags system would require a well-defined budget.
This, he said would represent a significant step towards addressing the challenges faced by Nigeria’s correctional centres.
Ajulo urged government to consider the proposal and initiate the necessary steps to pilot and implement the prison electronic tagging system in Nigeria. (NAN)
