The Federal Government declared Tuesday that over 12,000 inmates were released from various correctional centres across the country within the last six years in line with the policy of prison decongestion .
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice , Abubakar Malami stated this to members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary , Human Rights and Legal Matters during the 2023 budget defence session with the committee .
Malami who made the declaration in response to a question from Senator Ajibola Basiru, said the federal government was able to decongest the over congested prisons across the country through policy actions aside the Administration of Criminal Justice Act , meant for expeditious dispensation of Justice.
Earlier in his remarks , the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said the 2023 budget estimates for the Federal Ministry of Justice and its agencies as contained in the Appropriation Bill submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari, is N71.291billion.
Senator Bamidele specifically commended the President for increasing the budgetary provisions of the Council of Legal Education from N2.7billion it was in the 2022 fiscal year to N10.12billion proposed for 2023 fiscal year.
