Investigate Fraudulent Activities In Feeding Of Inmates In Prisons, North East Urged Minister Of Interior, CG Prisons
Masoyi Lusa
The Nigeria Prison Service Ration and Gas Contractors (NPSRGC) North East Region has called on the Minister of Interior and the Comptroller-General of Prisons to investigate the alleged massive fraudulent activities going on in the feeding system of prisons formations in the North.
Speaking shortly after their meeting and inauguration of new Executive of North East Zone of the NPSRGC in Bauchi, the Chairman Bauchi state chapter Abdullahi Mohammed Inuwa who spoke on behalf of the Contractors, said the feeding system in the prisons is Marred by corruption involving prisons officials and non indigenous contractors that don’t care about the welfare and plights of the inmates
Mohammed said “That is why members and leaders of the Prisons Contractors of the six states in the North East region are here in Bauchi to deliberate and addresses the issue of feeding inmates in our prisons, especially in this region that we are face with security challenges and as stakeholders find it disturbing”
According to him, “we want to draw the attention of the new Minister of Interior and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Prisons Service on massive corruption going on in the feeding system of inmates in our prison especially in the North East region.
He alleged that, food supplies to prison formations within the region were being diverted by southern contractors to their region.
“We have difficult terrains that contracts were only awarded to southern contractors instead of the indigenous contractors who live within the North East region and never visit the formations to know such supplies were made thereby rendering redundant.
“I want to assure you that in all the prisons in Bauchi state which include Bauchi, Ningi, Azare, Misau and the North East no indigenous contractors was awarded contract to handling suppliers of food to the formations.
“So you don’t expect good result because they are not on ground to supervise and the inmates are allowed to suffer,” Abdullahi stressed
Inuwa alleged that the activities of prisons officials was also responsible for mess up since the officials are involved in the feeding and supply, as they supply whatever they want and nobody complains, infact sometimes the inmates hardly get the two squares meals, sometimes they have one in a day this is very unfortunate ”
Abdullahi said ” we are appealing to the new Minister of interior and the Comptroller-General to set up a committee that will investigate what is going on in prisons formations in terms of feeding, award of contract to contractors who sub-contract it to state comptroller and prisons officials who dubiously defrauding the federal Government” he said
The indigenous suppliers of food items and cooking gas to prisons across the North East Region also lamented on involvement of prisons officials Instead of them to concentrating on their official functions of taking care of the inmates and their welfare, they choose to be contractors by proxy.
