The recent decision by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to release 4,068 inmates from Nigeria’s correctional centres signals a significant step towards addressing the chronic issue of overcrowding in these facilities. This move, which prioritizes inmates who served various terms or were convicted with an option of fine, presents an opportunity for a long-term, systemic reform of Nigeria’s prison system. However, this effort requires collaboration between federal and state governments, the judiciary, and civil society groups to ensure effective results.

While speaking at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, Abuja, the minister highlighted the urgent need for intervention, citing that the current capacity of Nigerian prisons is about 50,000, but they currently house over 80,804 inmates. This extreme overcrowding is primarily due to numerous factors, such as arbitrary arrests, inefficient justice processes, and poor case investigation.

According to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), the country’s prisons have a total capacity of 50,083 inmates, but by 2021, they held over 81,000 inmates, representing an occupancy rate of 136.7 percent. The World Prison Brief in 2021 corroborated this figure, showing that Nigeria’s correctional facilities were severely strained.

One major cause of overcrowding is the high percentage of inmates awaiting trial. Around 70 percent of the prison population falls into this category, stuck in the system because of delayed trials, lack of legal representation, and a slow-moving judicial process. Additionally, the lack of proper investigations by law enforcement results in innocent individuals being imprisoned for long periods, adding to the congestion problem.

Furthermore, judges often overuse custodial sentencing, even for minor and bailable offences, while magistrates are sometimes reluctant to grant bail. This practice undermines the intended goal of correctional facilities, which is to rehabilitate offenders and prepare them for reintegration into society. Instead, the toxic environment in overcrowded cells often turns minor offenders into hardened criminals.

The current system, despite being renamed the Nigerian Correctional Service (from the Nigerian Prisons Service), has not fulfilled its goal of correcting and reforming prisoners due to severe overcrowding. Many of these prisons were built decades ago and have not been upgraded to accommodate the increasing population. As a result, they have become breeding grounds for crime, as inmates form gangs and continue their criminal activities even after their release.

Addressing these issues requires comprehensive reform. Devolving the prison system to allow states to build and manage their correctional facilities, as was the case during Nigeria’s First Republic, could alleviate some of the burden. Moreover, private organisations, under strict oversight, should be allowed to operate correctional facilities. This model has been implemented in countries such as the United States, South Africa, Brazil, and England, where private prisons operate under government regulation.

Specialised courts should be expanded to ensure faster trials, and the Nigerian Correctional Service Act of 2019 should be fully implemented. The Act empowers state controllers to reject new inmates if their facilities are already at full capacity, a regulation that should be enforced more rigorously. Additionally, the separation of custodial and non-custodial sentencing needs to be applied widely to avoid unnecessary incarceration for minor crimes.

In leading this reform, Tunji-Ojo should aim to make prison decongestion a key part of his legacy as Minister of Interior. It is crucial for the government to ensure that correctional facilities serve their intended purpose of rehabilitating and reintegrating inmates back into society. Only through sustained reforms, effective legislation, and collective action can Nigeria’s prison system truly fulfill its role in maintaining justice and public safety.