Nigeria Has 75,601 Inmates In Prisons Nationwide -Aregbesola

–Says 75 Per Cent Of Inmates, Awaiting Trial

The Federal Government has disclosed that a total of 75,601 inmates, including 1,271 military detainees, are currently behind bars in different custodial centres across the country. This figure includes 74,044 males and 1,557 females. Of this figure, only 19,064 (representing 25 per cent) are convicts. The rest are awaiting trial persons.

Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola stated this on Monday at the Joint World Press Conference organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture in Abuja.

Aregbesola said that out of the number of those convicted, 3,150 of them are on death row awaiting execution. He said the number of those in this category had swollen over time because of the delay by state governors to assent to execution warrants pending on their tables.

According to the minister, one of the biggest challenges facing the custodial facilities is the huge number awaiting trial persons constituting a whopping 75 per cent of the inmates’ population and disproportionately usurping resources and space.

He appealed to state governments to speed up the justice delivery system so that justice will be quickly delivered for those awaiting trial for various offences.