By Adama Makasuba
Honorable Seyaka Sonko, Minister of the interior has announced a plan to build a new prison to help to decongest the country’s central prison.
He was recently speaking before the National Assembly standing committee on Defence and Security while presenting the activity report of his Ministry
According to him, the inmates are too much at the Mile II Central Prison that is why keeping them is always a problem.
“That is why we want to build a new prison so that we can move mile 2 prison to Jeshwang. Because looking at the bad records and conditions, the central Mile II prison is something else. The inmates are human beings like everyone else, so they need to be taken care of. The prison should be a rehabilitation center but not a place where people can be suffering,” he said.
What he wants is to make sure anyone taken to prison comes out with some skills, adding “we will need your support for funding to build the prison.”
He called on the honourable members to support them with funding in the budget so that they could maintain the prison in a good condition.
He also highlighted the importance of building prisons in the hospital zone saying, “when inmates are sick you can easily take them to the hospital for proper treatment.”
Muhammed Kandeh, a member of the committee urged the minister to take security issues very seriously because security is very important for every developing country.