Senate sends cry alarm over the N200 a Day Feeding for Prison Inmates

The Senate has expressed shock yesterday when it learnt that prison inmates in Nigeria are fed with N200 per day, saying the amount is grossly inadequate.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Umaru Dahiru, stated this yesterday at the presentation of the 2012 prison audit report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

In its six-volume report, NHRC's executive secretary, Prof. Bem Angwe, revealed that the quality of food in all the 173 prisons audited was poor.

"At the time of the audit exercise, inmates were fed on N200 per day. This amount, given the economic situation in the country today, is grossly adequate. All the prisons use firewood for cooking. The medium security prison, Makurdi, has gas pipes but has never used them. The kitchen facilities and utensils are old and in most cases inadequate. Inmates do the cooking".

Angwe also promised that in the next two weeks, the NHRC, through its public interest litigation unit, will commence legal action against some states of the federation over conditions of some prisons, as well as awaiting trial cases.