Controller of Prisons, Enugu State Command, Mr. Ndubuisi Ogbodo, has expressed concerns over the high number of inmates in the facility which had tripled its capacity.

Ogbodo spoke on Thursday in Enugu during the presentation of a baseline report on Decriminalisation and Declassification of Petty Offences organised by Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action.

The controller said it was disheartening that the facility with a capacity of 648 inmates now has 2,024 inmates.

He said that the situation had made it impossible to classify the inmates.

The controller, however, said that with proper classification of petty offences, cases of congestion which have become the hallmark of Nigerian prisons would be addressed.

Ogbodo said the situation in prison facilities had made it necessary for the government to come up with alternative means of addressing certain levels of wrongdoings in society.

He said that petty offences should be made to attract lesser sanctions, including community service.

“Petty offences should be classified and defaulters should be put under community service so that they are not mixed with hardened criminals in jail,” he said.

(NAN)