About 3,590 inmates in Nigeria’s detention centers are on death row, the Nigerian Correctional Service has revealed.
NCoS Public Relations Officer, Deputy Controller of Correctional Services, Abubakar Umar, disclosed this during an interview with the Newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
Umar said the total number of inmates in the centers across the country is 84,741, including 82,821 men and 1,920 women, as of September 3, 2024.
The NCoS spokesman put the total number of prisoners awaiting trial at 57,750, including 56,303 men and 1,447 women.
“The distribution according to their categories is as follows: the condemned prisoners are 21,900, including 21,519 men and 381 women, while the life prisoners are 1,501, including 1,478 men and 23 women. “The total number of those sentenced to death consists of 3,517 men and 73 women, for a total of 3,590,” he said.
Umar explained that most of the prisoners in custody are awaiting trial, which poses a significant challenge to the service due to their high number.
However, he assured that the service was taking steps to resolve the issue and ensure speedy legal treatment for those awaiting trial.
“With the initiative and support of the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, we managed to reduce the number of prisoners by releasing 4063 people who were given the opportunity to pay fines and/or compensation.
“The service is also addressing prison overcrowding through the construction of new facilities, the expansion of community sentences, the improvement of court logistics and the implementation of various decongestion measures, in more than the release of pretrial detainees,” he said. Umar said the Service’s efforts to form partnerships with other agencies have paid off, leading to increased security and positive outcomes in and around detention facilities.
He said: “The service has taken steps to strengthen the security of detention facilities against external threats and we have maintained a stable and secure environment in our facilities, with no incidents of internal insurgency.”
Umar also noted that the Service has seen significant improvements in the treatment and care of prisoners, particularly in personal reformation, rehabilitation programs and successful reintegration into society.
He added that the collaboration between NCoS and NOUN has yielded concrete results, with a significant number of prisoners enrolled in various academic programs, including advanced degrees, while serving their sentence.
He said as at August 31, 2024, there were 1,282 inmates registered at the Center for Special Studies of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
