Inmates at various correctional centres across the country have alleged that they are being poorly fed.

Many of them, who spoke to our correspondents, decried that they were dying of hunger.

This is as the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) and the independent panel raised last September by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to probe allegations of corruption and abuse of office against officers of the Service, disagreed over the inmates’ claims of hunger.

While the panel confirmed that inmates were dying of hunger, the acting Comptroller-General of the NCoS, described it as an exaggeration, saying there was no statistics to prove the allegations.

Our feeding pattern regimented – Ikoyi prison inmate

Inmates at the Ikoyi Custodial Centre alleged that the meals served them were worse than dog’s food.

Speaking to Daily Trust, one of the inmates, who simply identified himself as Tony, described life inside the facility as regimented.

“The pattern of feeding itself is regimented. We eat three times a day, but even a dog will reject the food served to us. Our saving grace is that some of us are allowed to buy food from the staff canteen. If anyone depends solely on the food served by the authority, I bet you that such a person will die.

“A lot of inmates suffer from malnutrition and are often rushed to the sick bay. Our usual pattern of food is beans in the morning, eba served with watery soup without meat or fish in the afternoon and dry garri in the evening. The cooked beans are usually full of stones, bean shells and weevils since it is not properly picked before cooking. One can count the number of beans inside a bowl of water served as a meal.

“Inmates are served just one or two spoonfuls of beans, which they call a portion, along with dry garri. I usually mix my beans and garri as the garri will soak up the entire water.

“The food is not even enough to feed a chicken. I hardly eat when eba and egusi soup or okra are served. I vomited on my first day at the Ikoyi custodial centre, but I eventually got used to it when the reality of where I was dawned on me.

“The sight of the soup can make one throw up. One can separate the water from the egusi. The beans look like something they scooped from a nearby drainage,” Tony said.

Another inmate, remanded in 2023 for allegedly bolting away with his master’s money, corroborated Tony’s claims, saying, “At some point after eating the often badly cooked beans with stones inside, I would be having a running stomach for most of the day. “The food is terrible. Sometimes, I prefer enduring hunger to eating the meals they serve us.”

An officer at the Ikoyi custodial centre, who also spoke to Daily Trust on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that inmates were fed twice daily, “contrary to the three-square-meal approved by the government.”

Recounting his experience at the Ikoyi prison facility, an inmate told our correspondent at the Igbosere High Court, Lagos, that inmates do not cook their own food, but that meals are prepared by warders or those contracted to prepare food and served.

“I wonder who eats the fish, as we are not served fish or meat. Only the inmates who have constituted themselves into authority in the different cells get to eat heads of fish.

“You are considered lucky if you get to see pieces of fish inside the watery soup. However, inmates who get to work in the kitchens are lucky because they get to eat what they want aside from the normal rations,” he added.

The source stated that those serving their jail terms usually receive two meals a day – breakfast and dinner, adding that the food served include beans, rice, eba and garri.

He stated that the soup is usually watery and that one can separate water and egusi from the bowl.

“Inmates typically fund their purchases through money sent to them by families and friends or by begging when they go to court”, he stated.

‘Hunger killing inmates at Kirikiri Maximum Prison’

“Hunger is killing people. It’s killing a lot of inmates in Kirikiri Prison. Whenever an inmate dies there, if you check, you will realise that there’s an element of hunger”, said Ibrahim Babangida, who was recently released from the Kirikiri Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Lagos State.

Babangida, from Adamawa State, who told RFI Hausa that he was arrested for sleeping under a bridge in Lagos, said: “There was neither food nor portable water. The food was like poison because it caused you to have rashes. I now have rashes all over my body, which is caused by the food, which is also so little. Each inmate’s ration is measured in a tin of milk; imagine if that is enough. People are dying due to a lack of food.”

“The food is too small, not more than three morsels, which cannot sustain someone even if he is given three square meals,” he said.

Babangida described the food at the facility as as “poison” and alleged that a certain chemical was being added to their meals to make them weak and prevent them from revolting.

“If you eat the food today, the next day you will have rashes. They cook with a chemical called ‘scattering’ powder.

“When you eat that substance, you lose strength for anything. You become lazy and as weak as a 100-year-old, and regardless of the remedy you get, you can only regain strength after the effective period of the chemical has elapsed. That is why the powder is added to our food because when we eat, it weakens our body as if we were seriously beaten,” Babangida said. 

Inmates served raw food at Kano facility

Daily Trust was told that inmates at  the Goron Dutse Medium Security Custodial Centre were served raw food. The facility, established for 500 inmates but later upgraded to accommodate 700 inmates, currently houses over 1,000 inmates.

A freed inmate, who spent about 18 months at the facility, said inmates were served raw food.

“We began cooking our food while serving because the food wasn’t enough, and it wasn’t nice.

“The only inmates that seem to be enjoying their stay are those on death row and those serving life jail terms,” he said.

Sources at the Kano Central Custodial Centre, Kurmawa, told Daily Trust that inmates on death row were given double rations and their meals, usually beans, pap, kunu, rice, garri and tuwo, prepared specially.

‘Calabar inmates fed with half-cooked beans once daily’

Investigations by Daily Trust have shown that inmates in the custodial centres in Cross River State are being fed once a day.

It was gathered that the inmates are being poorly fed with half-cooked beans, sandy rice and “soup meant for dogs”.

Findings showed that the inmates are fed with a few spoons of rice, which were not de-stoned and stewed without meat or fish on Wednesdays and Sundays.

They are also given garri and watery soup once daily.  But the inmates are reported to be rejecting the soup because it is always without salt or spices.

Some non-governmental organisations and churches that access the Afokang facility in Calabar weekly to support inmates with food and drugs also confirmed poor feeding at the facility.

‘Edo inmates need external help for survival’

Edwin Asibor, Executive Director, Securing the Creative Goldmine in Youths Initiative, said inmates in custodial centres in Edo State needed external help to survive hunger.

“What they are getting is not up to three square meals, and for anyone to survive in the prison, you need external help in terms of feeding.

“Parents of inmates in prison augment their children’s feeding as they have to give them money and also buy food items for them, Asibor said.

Speaking to Daily Trust, an ex-inmate at a custodial centre in Edo said: “Though the government provides feeding and drugs, among others, for the inmates, the officers were not allowing us to enjoy them. Some of the drugs provided for inmates are being used by the correctional officers.

“The food can’t take inmates anywhere. For instance, if the government says it is feeding an inmate with N500, what they (officers) are giving the person is not up to N100.

“Recently, I was in prison for standing as a surety to a suspect who absconded, I still meet the same treatment. In the morning, we were given a spoonful of beans (medium) and a tin of garri”.

‘Inmates get unhealthy meals in Benue’

Inmates at the Maximum Custodial Centre in Makurdi, Benue State, are fed twice in a day, mainly morning and evening, with unhealthy meals, sources told Daily Trust.

They said the inmates are mostly fed with pap in the morning and given maize flour meals with poorly prepared watery soups in the evening.

“The meals are not healthy,” a source said.

Of the sources said inmates are fed with pap, rice and beans at different times twice daily.

“Sometimes, they are served with rice, pap or beans in the morning, while in the evening, they eat maize flour or garri with any kind of soup.

“The food given to inmates at the Maximum Custodial Centre in Makurdi is generally of poor quality and insufficient quantity. The meals lack nutrients, often consisting of watery soups, small portions of beans, rice or garri and minimal protein,” the source added.

‘Inmates in Borno get meager portions of food’

Inmates at the Maiduguri Maximum Custodial Centre are served “meager portions” of rations, Daily Trust was told.

A source there said: “Government is treating these inmates like animals, not as human beings.

“The contractor feeding the inmates always complain of the high costs of food items, therefore, cannot provide sufficient food items to cook for the inmates.

“What they do now is rationing. At the end of every month, they cut down the number of times inmates eat.

“For instance, in a week, if the inmates are eating rice four times and beans three times, they will reduce their consumption to two or three times a week and replace them with less expensive stables like garri. At times, they will even skip meals to cope with the situation.”

The source said the use of firewood to cook for the inmates was adding to the cost of feeding.

“We expect that when the federal government reviewed the feeding amount, the contractors would switch to a gas cooker, but they didn’t,” he stated.

Hunger killing inmates – FG panel

An independent investigative panel assembled by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to investigate alleged corruption and other violations against the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), had recently confirmed that inmates were dying from hunger.

The secretary of the panel, Dr Uju Agomoh, while briefing the media last month, said their findings showed that many inmates in most custodial centres were facing death from hunger due to poor feeding and rampant food racketeering.

She said, “During our inspection visit as a panel, in February 2025, there was no food up to the approved weekly standards by the Service. The stock they are supposed to have for at least seven days, as is the practice, is not being implemented.

“This is about being open to knowing where the problem is because many inmates are dying due to a lack of food.

“I have personally been going to correctional centres for more than 30 years, but I have never seen what we see these days. There have always been problems, but it has never been the way it is now.’’

Agomoh, who is also the founder of the Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Actions (PRAWA), said that transparency was crucial for the investigative panel’s goal of enhancing efficiency within the NCoS.

She warned that starving inmates poses a danger, as hunger could fuel aggression.

She said the panel’s investigation also revealed that prison officers in charge of food supply prioritised profit-making.

She stated: “First, the quantity that is provided is small. Second, this drive for profit-making worsens the process. The officers in charge are one of the checks and balances for the contractors.’’

The panel’s secretary requested a response from the Nigerian Correctional Service regarding the implementation of Section 14, Subsection 4 of the NCoS Act.

No proof shows hunger killing inmates – Ag NCoS CG

Reacting in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, the NCoS’ acting Controller-General, Sylvester Nwakuche, said the panel was exaggerating the situation.

He said there were no statistics to show that inmates were dying of hunger.

The CG alleged that the panel could be making assumptions.

He disclosed that a prison ration committee had been established to monitor the quality and quantity of food served to inmates.

Nwakuche said the team regularly conducted routine checks.

 [DailyTrust]

The Nigerian Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said the addition of 700 megawatts to the country’s national grid may bring an end to grid collapses.

Adelabu disclosed this when he received the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, in his office in Abuja.

According to a statement released on Sunday by the minister’s spokesperson, Bolaji Tunji, Adelabu said the transmission capacity was achieved through the implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative, known as the Siemens project, which secured $2.3 billion in financing to revamp and transform its transmission segments.

Giving an update on the project, Adelabu said the pilot of the initiative is 90 percent complete.

“We have installed almost 90 percent of this, and they are working.

“And that has improved transmission capacity by over 700 megawatts, which is the result of what we are seeing now in terms of relative stability in the transmission grid.”

He further said that, “We have almost completed the pilot phase of that project, which involved the importation, installation, commissioning, and energization of 10 power transformers across the country and another set of 10 mobile substations.”

He explained that before the installation of the 700 MW electricity capacity, whenever the national peak reached 5,000, it became unstable and led to collapse.

“Before now, at the time the supply to the grid entered 5,000, the grid was unstable; it shook, collapsed, and all that.

“Now, we are having an average of 5,000, 7,000, and 8,000 megawatts. So, it’s not by accident. It’s because of these activities of the government.”

He added that the country in recent times has achieved two milestones: the highest average of 20,000 kilowatt-hours of daily power consumption and the highest distribution of energy at 5,801 MW.

“Over 20,000 kilowatt-hours it achieved, which has never been achieved before.

“The Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry has transmitted and distributed the highest energy of 5,801.63 MW as the latest feat.”

The development comes as the nation has plunged into partial darkness at least two times this year over grid disturbances. Although the Transmission Company of Nigeria said there have not been grid collapses in 2025,

Meanwhile, TCN confirmed that the country experienced at least twelve grid collapses in 2024 alone.

[DailyPost]

Chess player Tunde Onakoya is planning to attempt to break the world record for longest chess marathon, currently set at 61 hours by two Norwegian players.

Onakoya, who is going against US National master Shawn Martinez, aims to set a new record of 70 hours from April 17 to April 20 at Times Square, New York, USA.

He said his goal goes beyond breaking the record but to inspire the world and raise support for a noble cause of building the biggest free school for homeless children in Nigeria.

Onakoya will be joined by some of his trained children from Chess in Slums Africa initiative, who will participate in the record attempt for a few hours, showcasing their talents and potential.

The event is also open to chess players in New York City, who are invited to challenge Onakoya and his team.

Onakoya wrote: “There is a new world record for 61 hours set by two Norwegian players. On the 17th of April, we will attempt to break that record and set a new one for 70 hours

“My dream is to inspire the world, and raise support to build the biggest free school for homeless children in Nigeria.

“I won’t be doing it alone. I’ll be playing alongside these kids who have shown all of us that it is possible to do great things from a small place. (They will only join in for a few hours). This is an open call to every chess player in New York City to come and challenge them”.

Onakoya broke the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon in April, 2024, surpassing the previous record set by Norwegian players Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad in 2018.

The Norwegian duo played for 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 37 seconds.

Onakoya partnered with US chess master Shawn Martinez, exceeded this record on April 20, 2024, achieving an impressive 60-hour marathon.

[Punch]

•Fagbemi drafts S’Court response, PDP berates President, Ibas, Tompolo hints at Fubara’s return

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has sprung into action and commenced drafting the response of President Bola Tinubu to the People’s Democratic Party’s governors’ suit challenging the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State.

The PDP governors, on their part, have engaged 11 Senior Advocates of Nigeria and six other attorneys to battle the Federal Government at the Supreme Court on what powers the President has to declare emergency rule in a state and suspend a democratically elected institution of the state.

The SANs hired by the governors include Bolaji Ayorinde, Eyitayo Jegede, Kamaldeen Ajibade, J.A Mumuni, Musibau Adetunbi, Samuel Atung and Yunus Abdulsalam.

The others are M.S. Atolagbe, Ezenwa Ibegbunam, Chiamaka Anagu, Olakunle Lawal, Abduljalil Musa and H. A. Adeleke.

The PDP governors are also contesting the appointment of a sole administrator by the President to manage the affairs of Rivers State pending the duration of the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

President Bola Tinubu had on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.

Following the suspension, Tinubu appointed Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator to oversee the affairs of Rivers State during the period of the suspension.

Meanwhile, the Senate and House of Representatives supported the President’s decision through a voice vote.

Consequently, 11 PDP governors sued the President and the National Assembly before the Supreme Court, challenging the President’s powers to declare an emergency rule and suspend elected officials in a state.

The 11 states whose governors instituted the suit are Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa states.

The governors in the suit marked SC/CV/329/2025, among others, asked the Supreme Court to determine “Whether upon a proper construction and interpretation of the provisions of Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188 and 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can lawfully suspend or in any manner whatsoever interfere with the offices of a Governor and the Deputy Governor of any of the component 36 States of the Federation of Nigeria and replace same with his own unelected nominee as a Sole Administrator, under the guise of, or pursuant to, a Proclamation of a State of Emergency in any of the State of the Federation, particularly in any of the Plaintiffs States?

“Whether the consequent threat by the first Defendant acting on behalf of the President to the States of the Federation, including the Plaintiffs’ States, to the effect that the offices of the Governor and Deputy Governor of the States can be suspended by the President by virtue of a Proclamation of a State of Emergency, is not in contravention of the provisions of Sections 1(2), 4(6), 5(2), 11(2) and (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and inconsistent with the principles of constitutional federalism?”

On Sunday, The PUNCH gathered from a source in the AGF’s office that legal teams were working on the response to the suit.

“As we speak, my colleagues are in the office working on the processes,” the source said.

The Supreme Court has yet to fix a date for the hearing.

Ex-Rep kicks

Meanwhile, a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has fixed May 12 for a substantive hearing in a suit challenging the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and members of the State House of Assembly.

The suit was filed by a former member of the House of Representatives, Farah Dagogo.

To forestall difficulties in serving the defendants personally, the court granted an order for substituted services and fixed May 12 for the hearing.

In the case with suit No: FHC/PH/CS/50/2025, and before Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed, the plaintiff, Dagogo, had on April 9 approached the court seeking reliefs connected to actions bothering on the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and consequent suspension of the state governor and members of the State House of Assembly that involved President Bola Tinubu, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the Senate, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, and Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), the Sole Administrator for Rivers State.

In the motion ex parte filed on April 8, the plaintiff’s legal team, led by C. I. Enweluzo, SAN, requested the court to grant permission for substituted service of the originating summons and other related court processes.

According to him, this was necessitated by difficulties in serving the defendants personally.

Justice Mohammed, after reviewing the affidavit sworn by Solomon Ayotamuno, a litigation assistant at Liberty Chambers, and hearing arguments from the Plaintiff’s counsel, including Femi Adegbite, Monday Dayi, Daso Jack, and D. Bakweri, granted the application and directed that a hearing notice be issued, and adjourned the case to May 12, 2025, for substantive hearing.

The court also ordered that all relevant court documents be served on the defendants through DHL courier service to their last known addresses.

The affected addresses include: The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Asokoro, Abuja; The Senate President and the Senate of the Federal Republic at the National Assembly Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja; the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the same Assembly Complex, and Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) at the Rivers State Government House, Old GRA, Port Harcourt.

Ad-hoc committee

The House of Representatives will on Tuesday inaugurate an ad-hoc committee to take over the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly, The PUNCH has learnt.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the spokesman of the House, Akin Rotimi, noted that the presidential proclamation of the state of emergency on Rivers presented to the National Assembly was subjected to rigorous legislative consideration and duly amended to strengthen democratic safeguards and uphold the principles of checks and balances.

“One of the most consequential amendments was the designation of the National Assembly-rather than the Federal Executive Council-as the oversight authority for all regulations issued under the emergency arrangement.

“In line with Section 5 of the State of Emergency (Rivers State) Proclamation, 2025, and pursuant to Section 11(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the House has constituted a dedicated ad-hoc committee to monitor implementation and ensure that governance in the state remains within the bounds of constitutionalism and rule of law,” the statement read in part.

According to Rotimi, the committee will be chaired by the House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, while the House minority whip will act as the deputy chairman.

Other members of the committee include Isiaka Ibrahim, Idris Wase, Muktar Betara, and Sada Soli, Abiodun Faleke, Amos Daniel, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu and Blessing Onuh.

Others are Iduma Igariwey, Shehu Rijau, Oluwole Oke, Etinosa Amadi, Patrick Umoh, James Barka, Alex Egbona, Isa Anka and Fatima Talba.

The secretariat of the committee, according to the statement, will be headed by Prof. Jake Dan-Azumi.

He noted that the development “underscores the resolve of the House of Representatives to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and ensure that the extraordinary measures undertaken during the emergency period remain subject to legislative oversight, guided by transparency, accountability, and the best interest of the good people of Rivers State.”

Dickson visits Fubara

Also, former Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, lauded Fubara for remaining peaceful and calm despite the political development in Rivers State.

Dickson, now a Senator, stated this when he visited Fubara at his residence in Port Harcourt.

Fubara and his predecessor and estranged political godfather, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have been enmeshed in a prolonged disagreement, which snowballed into a major political crisis.

According to a post on Facebook, Dickson, a member of the PDP, said he and his host discussed “extreme political development in the state.”

He added, “I appreciated his (Fubara’s) calmness and peaceful disposition amidst unprecedented turbulence.”

Senator Dickson also shared pictures and a short clip of the visit on his Facebook page.

During the visit to Fubara, Senator Dickson commended the people of Rivers State for maintaining peace amidst “extreme and rare political development”, noting, “It may very well be the peace of a graveyard which, any little trigger can alter the balance of peace in the state and across the Niger Delta region.”

He urged the Ijaw people to remain peaceful and resist any provocation or incitement to violence.

He added, “They should refrain from violence and destructive tendencies, particularly the destruction and vandalisation of strategic oil and gas infrastructure in the region, which tends to cause further pollution-damage to our already compromised environment, slow down the pace of economic development and activities in the region, and create fiscal challenges for the government at all levels in the country, especially at this time when the global economy is experiencing unprecedented instability with consequences for all nations.

“The Ijaw Nation is not at war with the President or the APC-led Federal Government. On the contrary, the Niger Delta and the Ijaw Nation have always stood for a restructured and truly federal Nigeria, where power is properly devolved, accelerated infrastructure and human capital development, environmental justice and fairness for all, and an inclusive Nigeria.

“On all these issues, we are encouraged to see the President as a partner from his antecedence and not a foe, irrespective of party differences as some may portray.”

Tompolo breaks silence

Chairman, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Government Ekpemupolo has broken his silence on the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State, assuring that the suspended “Governor Siminalayi Fubara will return to his post.”

Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, while speaking during his 54th birthday celebration held at Aziza Temple in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area on Saturday, noted with concern that people had been accusing him of betraying the Ijaw nation for being silent on the suspension of Fubara.

“Talks are ongoing to resolve the differences between both Wike and Sim Fubara,” he stated. “I have sat on the throne of my father and all that is lost will return to glory.  The Ijaws will never be conquered people. If the Ijaws choose to go to war, the heavens will join us.  I have never fought a battle and lost.

“Let’s continue to support President Tinubu, he will bring all the good things we desire to the Ijaw nation. He is not a bad person.”

Ekpemupolo added, “On the issue in Rivers State, because I have not spoken, they said I have betrayed the Ijaw nation, but l cannot betray the Ijaw nation. I have spent all my life fighting for the Ijaw but we have passed the stage of responding to Wike’s kind of statement.  We are no longer at that level.

“I assure you that Governor Fubara will return as Governor.  We are already discussing.  Both he and Wike are like son and father.  Before he became governor, many Ijaws were against him, yet Wike was instrumental to his emergence, just like we also supported Wike.

“And just like l will not accept rebellion from my son, l will also not cause more problems.  Wike is angry, but he has to bring his temper down for the good of all.  We will dialogue and resolve all lingering issues, and again, Fubara will return to his seat.

“But you see that Bayelsa, as we are all here, our eyes are there, that is our home.  If you try Bayelsa, you will die. I and Governor (Douye) Diri may differ in opinion, but we are Ijaws. Bayelsa is the home of all Ijaws.  Those who are still carrying guns against their fellow Ijaws, it’s time to love ourselves.”