Centre Trains Correctional Officers In Digital Inmate Tracking System

The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has trained correctional officers on the use of the Corrections Information Management System to boost data management and operational efficiency in custodial centres in Nigeria.

The three-day capacity-building programme, held in Abuja, focused on equipping the officers with digital skills to enhance accountability and streamline operations within correctional facilities.

At the training on Friday, the programme manager for Access to Justice under the Reforming Pretrial Detention in Nigeria Project, Vivian Akagha, said the initiative was designed to address long-standing gaps in inmate tracking and case management.

She said the system ensures that inmates’ records — from admission to court appearances and sentence duration — are digitally stored and easily accessible.

“With this system, we are certain inmates will no longer be lost in the system. You can track how long someone has stayed, their court dates and other vital details. It ensures people are not held beyond their lawful terms,” she said.

Akagha added that the project, supported by international partners, had already been deployed in several states, with efforts ongoing to build the capacity of correctional personnel.

Also speaking, the state programme manager of PPDC in Kaduna State, Manasseh Akpa, said the platform was introduced under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019 to replace manual record-keeping with a centralised digital system.

He explained that the platform captures biometric data and detailed inmate information, including identity, case history and court records.

“The essence of this training is to equip officers with the knowledge to manage a system that ensures inmates are properly documented and tracked.

“It makes it easier to store and retrieve information and ultimately helps prevent people from being lost in the system,” Akpa said.

He noted that surveillance cameras, biometric machines and backup power systems had been deployed in selected custodial centres across the Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, Plateau and Nasarawa states.

On her part ,the Head of ICT and Innovation at the Nigerian Correctional Service, Joy Edwards, said the system had simplified administrative processes.

“With the introduction of CIMS, we now access information with ease. What used to take hours or even days can now be done in minutes,” she said.

Edwards added that the system had reduced the cost of paperwork, photocopying and manual file handling, while improving coordination of inmates’ court appearances.