The Federal Government has approved a 50 per cent increase in the feeding allowance for prison inmates, effective from August 2024, in response to rising food costs and to improve inmate welfare.

The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) spokesperson, Abubakar Umar, confirmed the development during an interview.

“This is the first phase of a broader review aimed at improving the welfare of inmates,” Umar told Punch.

He explained that the increase is necessary given the rising cost of food and that further reviews are expected to ensure the sustainability of inmate care.

The NCoS, which oversees 84,575 inmates, has been allocated over N24.4 billion for catering materials and foodstuffs for the 2024 budget year.

The measure addresses concerns raised in December 2023 when it was revealed that only N750 was spent daily on each inmate’s meals, compared to N800 spent per day on the service’s 900 dogs.

The issue of inmate welfare recently drew public attention after a viral video showed poorly prepared meals being served at the Afokang Custodial Centre in Calabar, sparking outrage and prompting an investigation by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.