Rivers
Correctional Service, Not For Juveniles – Controller
The Rivers Controller, Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), Mr Felix Madumere, has reaffirmed commitment to inmates’ welfare, saying that the facility does not remand juveniles.
Madumere made the remark in Port Harcourt recently in a media briefing while reacting to allegations that one Mr. Sunday Baridi was remanded at the age of 14 before he was recently released.
He explained that Baridi was remanded in 2010 at the age of 22 and was released by the Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, in July, 2025 alongside 20 inmates during a jail delivery exercise.
He noted that the exercise was part of efforts to address prolonged detentions and severe prison congestion which the center was currently struggling with.
The Controller also said although Baridi had no case mate, he had a robbery charge against him, attributing his struggles with delayed justice to wrong case filling procedures.
According to him, the warrant was an awaiting trial, and that it was unfortunate that the charging was made to a Magistrate Court which lacked jurisdiction to handle that matter.
‘’So, the matter had to wait until the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) files information against him in the High Court.
“It is not the duty of the Nigeria Correctional Service to file cases in courts, it is only when such cases are properly filed that the Correctional Center can present suspects to face trials”, he said.
Madumere maintained that Baridi was of age, explaining that if he had come at the age of 14, the case would have been a juvenile one and would not have been accepted into NCS facility.
He said, “so the issue of remanding an underaged is not true.’’
He added that Baridi, who is currently mentally unstable, might have been remanded with a false data he gave to the Police upon arrest.
Madumere further said the suspect, following his poor mental state, had probably lost memory of his falsified name, making him to let out his real surname which is Kinanee.
He expressed regret that the NCS had not gone digital when Baridi was remanded, but said their operations were currently digitalised with pictures and necessary data attached to the suspects’ names.
The Controller, however, called on the state and local governments to support the funding of the centre, noting that the support would assist in providing better living conditions for the inmates.