By Joy Onu
The Federal Ministry of Interior says the Federal Government is intensifying efforts to reform Nigeria’s correctional system, expand digital border monitoring, and strengthen financial accountability across its agencies.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during a meeting with the President and Chairman of Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Haruna Yahaya, who led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the ministry.
Tunji-Ojo said the government’s approach to correctional administration now places greater emphasis on rehabilitation and reintegration rather than mere detention of offenders.
“Our responsibility does not end with restricting the freedom of those who have violated the law,” the minister said. “We must ensure that people in custody are treated with dignity and given the opportunity to return to society better than they came.”
He explained that the transition from the former Prisons Act to the Nigerian Correctional Service Act was intended to reposition the system toward reform-oriented correctional management.
He said the new framework reflects a broader policy shift that recognises correctional institutions as centres for rehabilitation, skills development, and reintegration.
Speaking on border control and internal security, Tunji-Ojo revealed that the Correctional Information Management System (CIMS) currently contains more than 50 million records gathered from operations at Nigeria’s airports and seaports.
He added that the platform is now being expanded to incorporate land border data, a move he said would improve authorities’ ability to track irregular movements and strengthen national security.
“We are building systems that allow us to detect problems early and prevent them before they occur,” he said, stressing that modern security strategies must rely on proactive intelligence rather than reactive responses.
The minister also underscored the need for stronger financial controls within government institutions, arguing that preventive mechanisms should complement traditional audit processes to curb leakages.
Earlier, Yahaya commended the ministry’s reform efforts and proposed the establishment of a Joint ICAN–Ministry Financial Integrity and Revenue Assurance Task Force. He said the initiative would support revenue monitoring within the Nigeria Immigration Service and strengthen payroll and procurement oversight across government agencies.
