Prisons boss denies alleged diversion of inmates’ food

Mr Noel Ailewon, Controller, Plateau Command of the Nigerian Prisons Service, has dismissed allegations that food meant for prison inmates was being diverted by officers and men of the command.

“The allegations are malicious; they are an attempt to drag the good name of the command to the mud,” Ailewon told our reporter on Sunday in Jos.

Some groups recently alleged that food meant for inmates was being diverted to personal use by prison workers, claiming that such diversion was affecting the quality and quantity of food shared to the prisoners.

But Ailewon, who described the allegations as “very strange”, said that they were not only untrue, but “impossible”.

“I do not know whether it used to happen before, but certainly not now, because we have put measures in place to ensure that nothing like that happens.

“We have involved inmates’ representatives in the assessing, weighing and sharing of food.

“The inmates’ representatives are deeply involved in the whole feeding processes; they check quantity and quality and reports their observations on daily business,” Ailewon said.

He said that the prison service was a corrective agency, adding that its officers were corrective officers trained to ensure that the welfare of prisoners was never compromised.

The Controller cautioned members of the public against destructive rumours that could paint prison workers in bad light in the eyes of prisoners and members of the public.

The prison officer called for public support toward the success of efforts to make the prisoners corrective homes, and warned officers and men of the command against criminal tendencies that were inimical to the service’s mandate.