The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) says no fewer than 53,836 inmates in the 253 correctional centres nationwide are awaiting trial as of December 18, 2023.
Abubakar Umar, spokesperson of the service, while speaking with NAN on Thursday, said the country’s correctional facilities are currently housing 77,849 convicted and awaiting trial inmates.
Umar said the total number of convicted inmates is 24,013.
He added that the convicted male inmates were 23,569 and 444 convicted females respectively.
“Statistics shows that 69 percent of the inmates in Custodial Centres are actually awaiting trial while 31 percent are convicted inmates” Umar said.
He added that one of the challenges of the service was the issue of dilapidated custodial structures.
The spokesperson said the dilapidated infrastructure has led to overcrowded and congested spaces within the centres.
He said the government recently constructed 3,000 ultra modern additional custodial facilities across the six geopolitical zones to decongest existing centres.
Umar added that the initiative would help in decongesting the centres as well as enhance the welfare and the health of the inmates.
“That of Kano has been inaugurated and we are expecting speedy completion on the remaining facilities under construction,” he added.
“The ongoing construction of Abuja and the Port Harcourt centres had reached completion stages and they would soon be inaugurated.”
He appreciated the federal government for raising N585 million towards the settlement of fines for inmates in a bid to decongest correctional centres across the country.
He also lauded the recent release of 4,068 inmates serving various jail terms.
