Inmates to receive N1,150 daily feeding allowance

According to information released by the Nigerian Correctional Service, the 2025 budget would cover the meal allowance for newly admitted prisoners. 

Stephen Abene, the spokesperson for the Nasarawa State NCoS Command, said that the change is intended to bring it into line with the current state of the economy. 

He said that the rise from N750 to N1,150 per day was a government-approved step to alleviate dietary issues and enhance the welfare of prisoners.

“The government recently approved N1,150 for feeding per inmate from N750, which will be captured in the 2025 budget. This upward review is to meet up with the present economic reality,” he said.

After NCoS Controller General Haliru Nababa revealed in December 2023 that the inmate's daily food allowance was N750 while the daily allotment for each of the 900 canines the service maintained was N800, public attention to the situation of the inmates increased. 

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the interior minister, requested a probe after a widely shared video from the Afokang Custodial Centre in Calabar in August 2024 revealed that prisoners were being fed shoddy food. 

After stating that the footage did not accurately depict the overall standard of care across hospitals, the NCoS promised to conduct an investigation.

According to the most current report, 12 prisoners in Nasarawa State's Keffi Medium Security Custodial Centre passed away in September 2024 from a disease associated with malnutrition.

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