Executive Director of the Elohim Development Foundation, Dr Victoria Egwor Daaor, Monday criticised the state of correctional centres in Benue, saying they “seem not to be correctional enough,” with some inmates leaving in worse condition than when they arrived.
She made these remarks during a validation meeting of the Independent Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) State-Level Monitoring Committee, attended by journalists, civil society organisations, and legal stakeholders at Grace Hall, Elohim Development Foundation, in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.
The meeting raised serious concerns about the state of correctional facilities and the wider justice system in Benue.
Dr Daaor described the centres as “not good enough” and likened them to places “where animals stay.”
She said their responsibility was geared at monitoring compliance with the ACJL by justice institutions to ensure speedy trials, reduce pre-trial detention and decongest correctional facilities among others.
Awashima Adingi, the acting director of Research and Statistics at the Ministry of Justice, presented findings from 62 cases across Makurdi and Gboko correctional centres.
She said of these, 34 inmates were from the Maximum Custodial Centre in Makurdi and 28 from Gboko Correctional Facility.
She noted that, although trials under the ACJL should be concluded within three months, many inmates have been awaiting trial for years.
➜ See The Video Now
