By Karen James
Awka, September 2, 2025 — The Anambra State House of Assembly has passed into law the Anambra State Correctional Service Bill 2025, a landmark legislation designed to ensure humane and effective management of offenders while strengthening the administration of both custodial and non-custodial services within the state.
The Executive Bill, which scaled its Third Reading on Thursday during plenary in Awka, was considered clause-by-clause at the Committee on the Whole before its passage.
Presiding over the session, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze, declared that the new law shall be cited as the Anambra State Correctional Service Law 2025 and will officially come into force on September 18, 2025. He praised the House Committee on Judiciary and all members for their diligence, assuring Ndi Anambra that the legislature remains committed to enacting laws that enhance governance and public welfare.
Speaking after plenary, the sponsor of the bill and Majority Leader, Hon. Ikenna Ofodeme, emphasized that the legislation aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for states to establish and manage their own correctional centres. He noted that the law does not contradict federal legislation but complements it by focusing on the welfare and rehabilitation of inmates.
> “We are not creating a law to contradict existing law of the federation, but to ensure humane and effective management of offenders. This law provides for rehabilitation, decongestion of federal centres, and inclusion of inmates’ welfare in the state budget,” Hon. Ofodeme explained.
Ofodeme, who also chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, stressed that the law will cut costs associated with transporting inmates from police cells to courts while creating a Board and staff structure dedicated to the management of state correctional centres.
Commending the lawmakers, Mrs. Josephine Onah, State Project Lead of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme, described the legislation as a “milestone achievement.” She disclosed that RoLAC will incorporate the implementation of the new law into its 2026 work plan.
“Of a truth, this passage is cheering news for me and my team. It is one of the draft legislations RoLAC supported, and with its enactment and assent, we can now continue our work in strengthening justice delivery in Anambra,” Mrs. Onah remarked.
The House adjourned sitting to Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
It is noteworthy that Nigerian prisons, once under the Exclusive Legislative List, were moved to the Concurrent List following the 2023 constitutional amendment.
The term “Prisons” was replaced with “Correctional Services,” empowering both the National Assembly and State Assemblies to legislate on correctional matters.
With this new law, Anambra State has taken a significant step toward modernizing its justice system, ensuring offender rehabilitation, and reducing congestion in federal facilities.
