NCoS: 84,741 inmates in Nigerian prisons, 3,590 on death row

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) says 3,590 prisoners in custodial centres across the country are on death row.

Abubakar Umar, NCoS public relations officer, in an interview with NAN on Wednesday, said the national prison population reached 84,741 as of September 3.

Umar said male inmates are about 82,821 and female inmates stand at 1,920.

He said the total number of awaiting trial inmates (ATIs) stands at 57,750, consisting of 56,303 males and 1,447 females.

He said there is a high number of awaiting trial persons across prisons in the country, adding that the large population presents a substantial challenge for the centres.

“The breakdown according to their classes is: convicted inmates are 21,900 comprising of 21,519 males and 381 females, while lifers are 1,501 comprising of 1,478 males and 23 females,” he said.

“The total number of inmates on Death Row (IDR) was made up of 3,517 males and 73 females making a total of 3,590.”

The NCoS spokesperson said the service is working on addressing the population problem and ensuring timely judicial processing for awaiting trial persons (ATPs).

“Thanks to the initiative and backing of the minister of interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, we successfully reduced the inmate population by releasing 4,063 individuals who were given the option to pay fines and/or compensation,” he added.

“The service is also tackling custodial congestion through the construction of new facilities, expansion of community sentencing, improvement of court logistics, and implementation of various decongestion measures, in addition to the release of inmates.

“The service has taken steps to reinforce the security of custodial facilities against external threats, and we have maintained a stable and secure environment within our facilities, with no incidents of internal insurrection.”