Correctional facilities are straining under the weight of pre-trial detainees, who account for 64 percent of the inmate population, the national service revealed Wednesday, amid pleas for urgent funding to modernize aging infrastructure and ease the burden.
Controller-General Sylvester Nwakuche of the Nigerian Correctional Service disclosed the figures during a budget defense session before the House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions, highlighting a total of 80,812 inmates nationwide as of February 9. Of these, 51,955 are awaiting trial, while 24,913 are convicted and 3,850 fall into other categories.
Nwakuche described the agency as “a critical component of the criminal justice system, saddled with responsibility for custodial and non-custodial services, safe custody of legally detained persons, as well as their rehabilitation and reintegration into society as law-abiding citizens.”cdabe2 He stressed adherence to United Nations standards for offender treatment, including adequate feeding.
The service reported a 2025 budget allocation of 184.63 billion naira (about $113 million), with 90.6 percent of personnel costs utilized and significant spending on inmate meals, though 10.75 billion naira remains outstanding for feeding.
For 2026, NCoS proposed 198.85 billion naira, seeking an additional 90.38 billion for capital projects like facility upgrades, vehicles and security gear. “Capital expenditure is crucial for the construction and rehabilitation of custodial centres, procurement of operational vehicles, arms and security equipment, ICT systems, inmate biometric capture and agricultural inputs for prison farm centres,” Nwakuche said.
Committee Chairman Chinedu Ogah urged President Bola Tinubu to sign the Correctional Service Trust Fund Bill into law, arguing it would empower states to build their own prisons and alleviate federal overload.
“Improved funding and decentralised infrastructure would enhance rehabilitation programmes, vocational training and agricultural initiatives, enabling facilities to function as genuine reform institutions,” Ogah stated.
He noted progress in education, with 10 National Open University centers in prisons offering free programs that have produced inmate graduates.
Ogah also called on private firms to contribute via corporate social responsibility to cut recidivism rates, and praised staff for enduring harsh conditions.
Many facilities, built over a century ago, operate beyond capacity, leading to security lapses and deterioration.
The committee plans to review 2025 expenditures before endorsing the next budget.
NCoS officials offered no further comment.
