Over 36,000 out of 50,000 Detainees are Awaiting Trial in Nigerian Prisons - CG

Over-population in the Nigerian prison system has been fingered as one of the challenges hindering the present prison reforms as 70 per cent of over 50,000 inmates across the country are awaiting trails leading to congestion of the prisons.

This was revealed by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Prisons, Mr. Zakari Ohinoyi Ibrahim, yesterday during the opening ceremony of the train-the-trainers course organised by PRAWA International under its Human Rights Training Integration Project (HRTI) at the Savanah Hotels, Abuja.

Addressing the participants before declaring the workshop open, Mr. Ibrahim lamented the poor funding level of the prisons and expressed hope that the situation would change for the better when the policy makers have come to terms with the security implications of funding the prisons poorly.

“We in the prisons have our own challenges first we have a large awaiting trial population that has refused to go down. As I speak to you today, over 50,000 people are in custody, and 36,000 of this number are awaiting trail persons. This makes us work more to contain than reform,” he said.

On the right of prisoners, he said: “Prisoners are human persons who may have lost their liberties by coming into conflict with the law. Yes, they have lost their liberties and other rights by being in custody but there are some very basic inalienable rights they must enjoy even in custody as these rights are guaranteed in law.”

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