NCoS Activates Olojuoro-Olomi Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Admits 80 Inmates
By Pan Afric Reporters
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has commenced operations at the newly completed Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Olojuoro-Olomi, Ibadan, Oyo State, with the admission of 80 convicted male inmates.
The development was contained in a statement issued by the Service Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Corrections JN Osuji, announcing the operationalisation of the facility following approval by the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and a directive from the Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche.
According to the statement, the 80 inmates were transferred from designated custodial centres to the new facility pending its formal commissioning and full operational deployment.
The operationalisation adds significant capacity to Nigeria’s custodial infrastructure and is expected to help address congestion while providing a safer, more secure and humane environment for inmates committed to the custody of the Service by competent courts.
The facility currently has the capacity to accommodate 800 inmates, but has been designed for phased expansion that could increase its capacity to 3,000 inmates upon completion and activation of additional sections.
The planned additional sections will include facilities for awaiting-trial persons, female inmates and persons on death row.
The Olojuoro-Olomi centre is equipped with modern custodial cells and beddings, a gate lodge, perimeter fencing, kitchen, medical facilities, administrative offices, staff accommodation and recreational facilities.
The Service said the infrastructure was designed not only to strengthen security but also to improve the welfare of inmates and personnel and support its mandate of humane custody, reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration.
Strategically located in the South-West, the facility is expected to improve the distribution and management of inmates in the region and ease pressure on existing custodial centres, particularly in neighbouring Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states.
The Service said the phased activation would allow it to progressively deploy the facility’s full capacity in line with operational requirements and the completion of the remaining sections.
NCoS stressed that the new facility formed part of a broader correctional reform programme rather than merely an expansion of physical infrastructure.
The Service said modern custodial facilities were necessary to ensure that persons in custody are securely held, treated humanely and provided with opportunities for reformation, rehabilitation, skills development and eventual reintegration into society.
The operationalisation of the Olojuoro-Olomi Maximum Security Custodial Centre, according to the Service, represents a further investment in Nigeria’s correctional infrastructure and the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen public safety, improve custodial conditions and build a more effective and rehabilitation-oriented correctional system.
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