By Joy Onu
The Federal Government has begun moves to modernise Nigeria’s correctional system through technology, improved inmate data management, institutional reforms and stronger security coordination, as part of efforts to make prisons safer and more focused on rehabilitation.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Mary Ali, the minister said correctional facilities across Africa must move away from outdated practices and embrace modern systems capable of addressing present-day security and social challenges.
The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said this while speaking at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Conference on Prisoner Classification and the Use of Technology in Prison Settings in Africa.
He said the realities of the 21st century require a new approach to correctional administration, with technology, data-driven decision-making and regional cooperation playing critical roles in improving security, efficiency and humane treatment of inmates.
“The approach to correctional service management in the 19th century cannot be the same as the 21st century,” Tunji-Ojo said, stressing that “technology is no longer optional, it is essential to building secure, efficient and humane correctional systems.”
The minister commended the UNODC, African Correctional Services Association (ACSA), United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and other partners for organising the conference, describing it as an important platform for advancing common standards and strengthening correctional systems across Africa.
He said that effective reforms must begin with a proper understanding of the challenges facing correctional institutions before solutions are introduced. “We spend too much time prescribing solutions to problems we do not fully understand. If we devote adequate time to understanding the problem, the solution becomes much easier to implement,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo challenged correctional leaders to focus on three major issues in driving reforms, identifying the problem, determining the appropriate solution and setting a clear timeline for implementation.
Highlighting Nigeria’s recent progress, the minister said the country has recorded no successful prison attacks or jailbreaks since the current administration assumed office, attributing the achievement to investments in digital transformation, improved data management and stronger collaboration among security agencies.
He said that the ongoing digitisation of correctional services, including the capturing of inmates’ biometric information and photographs, has improved the ability of authorities to respond swiftly to security threats and track offenders. “This is the power of technology,” Tunji-Ojo said. “But technology alone is not enough. It will never replace human beings. Technology is only a catalyst that improves efficiency. Investment in technology must go hand in hand with investment in human capacity.”
The minister stressed the need for correctional services to be integrated into wider national security plans instead of being treated as isolated institutions.
He called for stronger information sharing among law enforcement agencies within countries and across borders, warning that criminals should not be able to exploit gaps in security systems by moving from one jurisdiction to another.
“I look forward to an Africa where a criminal fleeing one country cannot simply find refuge in another because our systems are connected and our institutions collaborate,” he said.
Beyond security, Tunji-Ojo said correctional centres must be repositioned as places of rehabilitation, transformation and restoration where inmates can acquire skills and prepare for reintegration into society.
“A correctional centre should be a place of transformation, rehabilitation, restoration, and hope, not simply a place of confinement,” he said.
He also called for stronger legal frameworks for borstal institutions and juvenile justice systems, stressing that young offenders should not be placed alongside hardened criminals.
“Our young people deserve an opportunity for rehabilitation, not a pathway into deeper criminality,” the minister said.
According to him, Nigeria has expanded educational and vocational opportunities for inmates, with thousands currently participating in formal education, postgraduate programmes, vocational training and skills development initiatives.
He said the programmes, alongside structured rehabilitation efforts, have contributed to a significant reduction in recidivism while helping correctional facilities become centres of productivity and personal transformation.
“There is nothing wrong in Africa that cannot be put right by Africans,” Tunji-Ojo said, urging stakeholders to become “agents of transformation” and work together to build correctional systems that strengthen justice, improve security and restore hope.
He declared the conference open, calling on African countries to embrace technology as an indispensable tool for transforming correctional administration and strengthening internal security.
The conference, organised by UNODC in collaboration with ACSA, INL and other partners, brought together correctional experts, government representatives and stakeholders to discuss prisoner classification, technology adoption and reforms aimed at improving prison management across Africa.
