A revelation by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has shown that 53,836 inmates in the 253 correctional centres across the country were awaiting trial as of December 18.
The spokesperson for the service, Assistant Controller of Corrections (ACC) Abubakar Umar disclosed this to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
According to NAN, Umar said the summary of the inmates across the country by conviction and those on awaiting trial list was 77,849 within the period under review.
According to him, the total number of convicted inmates was 24,013 while the number of convicted male inmates was 23,569 and the number of convicted females was 444.
“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 confronting the service was the dilapidated custodial structures which resulted in overcrowded and congested spaces within the centres.
The NCoS spokesman said the government had 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 centres as well as enhance the welfare and the health of the inmates.
“That of Kano has been inaugurated and we are expecting speedy completion of the remaining facilities under construction.
“The ongoing construction of Abuja and the Port Harcourt centres had reached completion stages and they would soon be inaugurated,” he said.
