The Nigerian Correctional Service on Friday disclosed that the current total number of prisoners in the country is 77,849 while 3,413 of the inmates are currently on death row across the country’s custodial centres.
The service also put the total number of inmates in these facilities at 77,849.
The spokesperson of the service, Abubakar Umar, revealed this during a media parley at the service headquarters in Abuja.
Umar noted that of the total inmate population, 53,836 individuals are awaiting trial, with 52,512 males and 1,324 females, adding that, “The high number of awaiting trial persons is a phenomenon that is challenging for the Service.
“However, the Service is working towards alleviating this conundrum and providing judicial guarantees for them.”
Additionally, Umar disclosed that “1,308 inmates were serving life sentences, with 3,341 males and 72 females among the 3,413 on death row.”
He attributed the absence of internal disturbances within their facilities to the provision of fundamental needs for inmates and the Service’s proactive deployment of technology for surveillance and swift response measures.
Umar further appreciated the Minister for Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for supporting initiatives that led to the release of 4,086 inmates who were eligible for fines or compensation, effectively reducing custodial centre populations.
The NCoS spokesperson highlighted advancements in inmate welfare, citing educational opportunities such as the National Examination Council/Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination undertaken by 1,840 inmates.
He added, “This year also, we are able to improve on the treatment regime for inmates in the areas of reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration.
“Suffice it to mention that a total of 1,840 inmates sat for the 2023 NECO/SSCE, while many others are undergoing various academic programmes in Custodial Centres nationwide.
“As you are aware, our partnership with the National Open University of Nigeria is yielding pragmatic results as many inmates are undergoing various degree programmes, including doctorate degrees, in custody.”
Concerning the staff welfare, he said “We are committed towards improving the well-being of personnel as they are invaluable in achieving Service mandates.
“In addition to providing more barracks and office accommodation, we succeeded in the massive promotion of staff this year. In 2023 alone, we were able to promote more than 20,000 officers and men.
“Only yesterday (Thursday), we decorated a total of 5,014 personnel who were recently promoted, in addition to the 17,693 who were elevated earlier in the year.
“In the area of cushioning the hardship faced by staff arising from the fuel subsidy removal, we rolled out several palliative measures among which is the provision of mass transit buses to convey staff residing in faraway areas to and from work at no cost.”
