Under President Muhammadu Buhari, the federal government is making efforts to solve the persistent issue of jailbreaks in the nation. The most recent and well-known episode took place in September 2022 at Kuje, Abuja, where armed gunmen released hundreds of prisoners, including high-profile terror suspects and experienced criminals. A 3,000-capacity facility is now being built at Karshi, on the boundary of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Nasarawa State, as a result of the president’s approval of the construction of six ultramodern correctional institutions in various states.
This new institution, along with the others, is being paid for by a special intervention fund that the president has sanctioned and is a part of the government’s reform initiative to change the penal system in Nigeria from one that is punitive to one that is corrective. The Nigerian Correctional Service’s offices will be located at the 3,000-capacity correctional center that is now being built in Karshi. The facility can house both male and female offenders (NCoS). It is anticipated that the project, which is being funded by a special intervention fund approved by President Buhari, will be finished and put into service before the president’s tenure expires in May of this year.
There have been rumors the quarry site is in the NCoS facility.
The development of these new facilities represents a significant advancement in the reform initiative launched by the Buhari administration, which earlier saw the Nigerian Prison Service renamed the Nigerian Correctional Service. One of these facilities, which is currently being built in Karshi, raises questions about its placement. There have been rumors that a quarry site is in the centre of the NCoS facility, which is concerning because the continuous rock-crushing and blasting is unsafe for any kind of residential or business accommodation, let alone a security zone.
According to a quarry firm, it legitimately acquired the property, which is a solid mineral area under federal authority and managed by the Federal Ministry of Mines and Solid Mineral Development. Although the Federal Capital Territory Development Administration (FCTA) originally assigned the plot to NCoS, it was later discovered that the assignment was incorrect and that the company’s claim to the land is compliant with the Land Use Act of 1978, Section 44(3) of the 1999 Construction, and Section 1 of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.
Help the unfavorable perception of Nigeria’s prison management system.
Company is willing to shift to another location due to concerns about national security, but it is seeking compensation for the loss of its clientele. Operators in the mining industry, such Mining Entrepreneurship Stakeholders, have requested compensation from the federal government for the company’s lost revenue as a result of the NCoS’s occupation of its facilities. This newspaper has come to the conclusion that while the Buhari administration’s plan to build new, cutting-edge correctional facilities is a welcome development that will help change the unfavorable perception of Nigeria’s prison management system, it is crucial to address the issue of the quarry site in Karshi and find a solution that is just for all parties.
To combat the issue of jailbreaks and enhance Nigeria’s prison management system, the new strategy for ultramodern correctional facilities is also a positive step. However, it is crucial to make sure that the construction of these facilities does not unnecessarily harm any stakeholder, as was the case with the quarry company in Karshi. The quarry is a sizable, cutting-edge, multimillion-Naira enterprise that has been ranked among Nigeria’s top three due to the intricacy of its electrical engineering and computerized technology. These are local investments that are owned by Nigerians that are apparently in financial trouble right now.
Nigerians means of livelihood have been adversely affected.
The employees of that company who lost their employment are also Nigerians whose means of support have been negatively impacted by the claimed takeover of the premises. In order to protect both national security and the interests of the quarry firm, the federal government should take the necessary action, pay the company, and make sure the problem is remedied quickly. The voters of the Verre and Gurin Constituencies in the Fufore Local Government of Adamawa State have mandated that Senator Abdul-Aziz Murtala Hammenyero Nyako, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the upcoming election into the Upper Chamber of the Senate and representative of the Adamawa Central Senatorial District, prioritize roads, hospitals, education, and security among other things when elected.
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