NEARLY two-thirds of inmates in Nigeria’s correctional facilities are still awaiting trial, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has revealed, underscoring the urgent need for reform and stronger collaboration between federal and state governments.
Speaking on Politics Today, a current affairs programme aired on Channels Television on Thursday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Tunji-Ojo said that about 67% of prisoners nationwide have not been convicted, while roughly 72% of the entire inmate population are state offenders.
This situation, he said, places an unfair burden on the Federal Government, which runs most of the country’s correctional centres.
“We can work out a synergy… states that want to have their own correctional centres are entitled to have them.
“But we must also understand that about 72% of our inmates are state offenders and about 67% are awaiting trial,” Tunji-Ojo explained.
“Two-thirds are state offenders, but the Federal Government is the one taking responsibility now.”
The minister stressed that the Tinubu administration was focused on finding solutions rather than shifting blame.
“As Mr. President always says, ‘We were elected to produce results, not to make excuses.’ We will engage with governors to create a shared strategy to solve these correctional problems,” he added.
Tunji-Ojo noted that in July, the Federal Government released 4,550 inmates as part of a nationwide decongestion initiative. The releases targeted individuals held for minor, bailable offences and those who had spent prolonged periods in detention without trial.
He emphasised that since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in 2023, significant resources have been deployed to improve the condition of correctional centres across the country.
“This administration has done a lot in the last two years in terms of putting resources into fixing our correctional centres,” he said.
The minister’s remarks come in the wake of a jailbreak at the Keffi Custodial Centre in Nasarawa State, where 16 inmates overpowered security operatives and escaped earlier this month.
Some escapees were later recaptured, but the incident added to a worrying list of prison breaks in Nigeria in recent years.
Prison congestion, prolonged pre-trial detention, and inadequate facilities have long been cited as major factors undermining Nigeria’s correctional system, raising calls for urgent legislative and administrative reforms.
