53,836 inmates awaiting trial nationwide, says Official

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) said no fewer than 53,836 inmates in the 253 correctional centres nationwide are awaiting trial as of December 18.

The spokesperson of the service, Assistant Controller of Corrections (ACC), Abubakar Umar, told the newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.

Umar said that the summary of the inmates across the country by conviction and those on the awaiting trial list was 77,849 within the period under review.

According to him, the total number of convicted inmates was 24, 013 persons, “adding that the convicted male inmates were 23,569 and 444 convicted females, respectively.

” 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.

Umar said that one of the challenges of the service was the issues of dilapidated custodial structures which resulted to overcrowded and congested spaces within the centers.

He said that 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 completiof of the remaining facilities under construction," he said.

“The ongoing construction of Abuja and the Portharcourt centers had reached completion stages and they would soon be inaugurated” he added.

He appreciated the Federal Government for raising N585 million towards the settlement of fines for inmates in a bid to decongest correctional centres across the country.

He also lauded the recent effort of the federal government to release 4,068 inmates serving various jail terms.