The Nigerian Correctional Service, on Wednesday, said that the number of prisoners on death row had risen from 3,590 in September 2024 to 3,688 in March 2025.

This represents a 2.73 per cent increase or addition of 98 prisoners within six months.

The Acting Controller-General of NCoS, Mr Sylvester Nwakuche, gave the figure when he appeared for screening before the Senate Committee on Interior, chaired by Sen. Adams Oshiomhole.

The NCoS also sought strategic collaboration with the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to speed up the wheel of justice in the country.

Nwakuche said that the major challenge facing the correctional service in the country was that of inmates currently awaiting trials.

“That is our major headache we are trying to address on a daily basis,” he said.

The acting comptroller-general pledged to collaborate with other security agencies more strategically to ensure that the issues of awaiting trial inmates were permanently resolved to decongest the country’s prisons.

“This is very important for any establishment to forge ahead. An establishment like correctional centres cannot do anything without collaboration.

“We are the recipient of the products of all the prosecuting agencies,” the acting comptroller-general said.

In his remarks, Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, said the committee would submit its report based on the performance of the Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service

NAN

The Rivers State House of Assembly has faulted claims by Governor Siminalayi Fubara that he was blocked from entering the House to re-present the state 2025 Appropriation Bill.

The House said it never received any official communication from the governor indicating his interest in bringing the budget to the floor of the House, accusing him of whipping up unnecessary sentiments.

The spokesperson for the House and Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Dr Enemi George, stated this in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

George said the claims of the governor were a mere comedy skit scripted to paint the House in bad light.

He recalled that on March 3, the House had written to the governor requesting him to bring his 2025 appropriation bill to the lawmakers following the judgment of the Supreme Court.

He said, “We were the ones, who immediately after that judgment appealed to the governor to bring his appropriation bill. We acted immediately because we had the interest of the state at heart and didn’t want Rivers people to suffer any harm.

“Despite withholding our entitlements for over a year and demolishing our chambers, we still wanted him to hasten up the presentation in the interest of the progress of Rivers.

“We indicated our intentions in that letter and even gave him a timeframe because of the urgency of the matter. To regularise his appointments, we also urged him during our subsequent sitting to submit the names of his nominees for the positions of commissioners and some boards’ membership for screening and confirmation.”

George added, “But the governor rebuffed our pleas. We sent employees of the Assembly to deliver these resolutions to him but as usual, they turned them down at the gate and even brutalised them. We resorted to engaging the services of a courier company.

“He still did not heed our call forgetting that there are essential services like hospitals, schools and others to be funded. Our intention was to finish everything about the budget on March 15th so that we could send necessary information and documents to relevant agencies of the government to allow the release of Rivers allocations at the end of March.

“But with what he is doing, we dont know what he wants to achieve. How can he turn around to claim that we blocked him from re-presenting his budget?

“This is the height of insincerity. We even need the budget to be passed because the governor has been owing us our entitlements for more than a year and without the budget, we can’t get our entitlements.

“The governor and his team simply and deliberately acted Wednesday’s drama with a singular motive to tarnish the image of the Assembly. The governor is simply playing to the gallery to whip up unnecessary sentiments. But it has backfired because the truth has come out.”

The House spokesman insisted that the letter the governor claimed to have sent to the Speaker never got to him, saying it was after Wednesday’s sitting that the lawmakers saw the letter trending on social media.

He added, “But even the letter trending on social media was dated March 11. Does it mean that the governor purportedly sent a letter on Tuesday—God knows when—and immediately mobilised to the assembly quarters on Wednesday morning, claiming he came to present his budget?

“That alone vitiates the claimed purpose. It is procedurally trite that after writing to the Assembly, the governor ought to wait for the letter to be acknowledged by the lawmakers, who will then invite him to appear before them and make his presentation. Governor Fubara ought to know this if he is sincere.

“But all we know is that this Assembly will continue to uphold the rule of law and will remain committed to promoting the interests of Rivers State.

“We urge him to do the needful so that Rivers people can breathe. He is toying with the lives and livelihood of Rivers people.”

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday met with members of the Lagos State House of Assembly members, including Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda in the State House.

The lawmakers arrived in two white buses with Deputy Speaker Meranda while the Speaker Obasa arrived separately some minutes later.

This meeting, which is coming after a leadership crisis in the house, held behind closed doors.

After the meeting, lawmakers were seen singing joyfully “On your mandate we shall stand”— and hailing the president as he walked off to his office.

According to one of those who attended the meeting, “everything has been resolved”.

An official statement has not been released yet.

The leadership crisis in the Assembly took a different dimension on January 13, 2025, when Obasa was removed as Lagos speaker by more than two-thirds of the 40-member house, who voted him out over alleged misconduct and sundry offenses.

Obasa’s then-deputy, Meranda, was immediately elected the new Speaker, becoming the first female to take charge of the legislative body in the South-West state.

Obasa vehemently rejected his removal as speaker, claiming that it took place in his absence — when he was out of Nigeria.

However, 36 lawmakers loyal to Meranda insisted that Obasa’s removal was final and that Meranda remained the speaker of the House.

After weeks of leadership tussle, Obasa who represents Agege Constituency I, Mudashiru Obasa, was on March 3 re-elected as the Speaker of the 40-member Assembly.

His re-election took place after the resignation of Mojisola Meranda who stepped down as the Speaker of the House.

Meranda, who represents Apapa Constituency I, announced her resignation at the plenary, after which lawmakers immediately re-elected her as the Assembly’s Deputy Speaker.

The lawmakers commended her leadership style and for bringing peace to the Lagos State House of Assembly. They also commended her strength and humility for obeying the rules and regulations of the All Progressives Congress (APC).