Prisoner Transfer: UK Plans to Construct Prison Facility in Kirikiri

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Thursday, March 8th, 2018

LONDON, (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The British authority has announced that it will construct a new 112-bed wing at the Kirikiri Prison in Lagos.

While speaking Thursday in London, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Mr. Boris Johnson, said the project was meant to receive Nigerian inmates when transferred from UK.

Mr. Johnson in a written statement to the Parliament confirmed that tenders have been placed and a supplier identified to conduct the building work at Kirikiri.

He further informed that the project would be funded from Britain’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, which he indicated has an annual budget of over 1 billion pounds, while it aims at commissioning projects that could help prevent conflicts and stabilize countries or regions.

Mr. Johnson who did not mention the name of the contractor specified that the multiple bed wing project, would cost the sum of 700,000 pounds ($973,000).

It added that the project is compliant with the United Nations standards and this would make it easier for Britain to comply with a prisoner transfer agreement it signed with Nigeria in 2014.

The Foreign Scribe explained under deal, eligible prisoners serving criminal sentences in Nigeria and Britain could be returned to complete their sentences in their respective countries.

Some of the prison facilities across the country were constructed by the former Colonial masters, over 100 years ago. Many of them face with the challenges of weak structures, lack of space, among other many other necessary facilities.

Although, it was dated back to the Colonial era, still, Kirikiri is known to be the oldest prisons in Nigeria.

Recently, the prison in the southern city of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital currently plays host to about 5000 inmates as against 800 it was originally designed for.

Out of the bloated number of prisoners in the facility, about 3700 were said to waiting for trial for over five years.