The Federal Government says that governors can offset or grant waivers to inmates with fines of less than N1 million.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, says while the Federal Government is finding long time solutions to the challenge of prison decongestion, the State Government can in the meantime provide basic support, like offsetting the meagre fines and debts, building courthouses at the correctional services premises or try the defendants virtually from the Correctional Centres for speedy determination of cases
He held that some of the inmates are held behind bars for minor offences that can be easily waived by the states.
The Minister further asserted that he recently asked the comptroller of Correctional centres to compile the list of inmates whose reason for incarceration is a fine or a debt, not more than one million nairas that are meant to be paid to the state governments.