The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has disclosed that as of December 18, 53,836 inmates in the 253 correctional centers nationwide are awaiting trial.
Assistant Controller of Corrections (ACC) Abubakar Umar, the service’s spokesperson, revealed this information to reporters in Abuja on Thursday.
Umar highlighted that within the reviewed period, the overall summary of inmates nationwide included 77,849 individuals, comprising those convicted and those awaiting trial.
He specified that the total number of convicted inmates stood at 24,013, delineating that 23,569 were male while 444 were female and had been convicted.
“Statistics shows that 69 per cent of the inmates in Custodial Centres are actually awaiting trial while 31 per cent are convicted inmates,” he said.
According to him, one of the challenges of the service was the issues of dilapidated custodial structures which resulted to overcrowded and congested spaces within the centres.
The spokesman said the government has recently constructed 3,000 ultra-modern additional custodial facilities across the six geopolitical zones to decongest existing centres.
He said the initiative would help in decongesting the centers 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 said.
