Behind the fortified walls of Nigeria’s correctional centres, thousands of inmates face unspeakable conditions. New revelations from investigative panels and rights advocates have laid bare a grim reality: starvation has become a silent killer within these institutions, fueled by chronic mismanagement, unchecked corruption, and apathetic leadership.

From Ikoyi to Maiduguri, reports reveal that prisoners are subjected to appalling diets—soups devoid of protein, beans mixed with stones, and dry garri passed off as complete meals. Some inmates even allege that their meals are laced with chemicals designed to sedate and weaken them, making them more manageable for overworked wardens.

A Grim Reality Confirmed
This is not just inmate exaggeration. An independent panel, established by the Minister of Interior, confirmed that prisoners are dying of hunger. The panel’s findings cite rampant racketeering in food distribution, shockingly inadequate rations, and a deeply entrenched culture of corruption that values personal profit over human lives. Ujo Agomoh, a veteran prison rights advocate and a panel member, described the crisis as “unprecedentedly dire,” warning of brewing unrest as inmates become increasingly agitated.

Jailbreaks and Denials
Between 2019 and 2024, Nigeria experienced 13 major jailbreaks, with over 6,675 inmates escaping—including terrorists and violent offenders. Analysts link these incidents directly to overcrowding, mistreatment, and collapsing prison infrastructure. Still, the leadership of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) denies the worsening hunger crisis.

Acting Comptroller-General Sylvester Nwakuche has labeled the reports as exaggerated and lacking statistical evidence. The NCoS Public Relations Officer similarly dismissed the reports as misleading. These denials reflect a dangerous disconnect from on-the-ground realities.

Human Rights Under Siege
Under the Nigerian Constitution, inmates retain certain rights, including protection from torture, access to legal representation, and humane treatment. The deliberate denial of adequate food constitutes torture and grossly violates national and international human rights laws. Hunger and untreated illnesses should never be part of a custodial sentence.

Corruption Feeding the Rot
Wealthy inmates reportedly enjoy VIP privileges in exchange for bribes—spacious cells, access to phones and TVs, and even conjugal visits. Meanwhile, poor inmates are left to starve, their allocated food rations looted by corrupt officials and contractors.

Prisons designed to hold a few hundred now house thousands, creating an environment rife with disease, violence, and neglect. Oversight is minimal, funding is insufficient, and transparency is virtually non-existent.

A Call for Urgent Action
The Nigerian government must act now. The Tinubu administration must prioritize a comprehensive overhaul of the correctional system. This begins with an independent audit of all prison food contracts, followed by public disclosures to restore accountability. Section 14(4) of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act must be strictly enforced to guarantee proper feeding and welfare for all inmates.

Interior Minister Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, known for addressing passport racketeering, must channel similar energy into prison reform. Civil society, human rights organizations, religious groups, and the media must also gain regular access to prisons to monitor conditions and offer support.

Legislative and Judicial Responsibilities
The National Assembly should urgently pass legislation aimed at overhauling the prison system. First, the ration allowance of ₦1,125 approved in August 2024 must be increased to match today’s economic conditions. Feeding inmates cannot be left at the mercy of corruption or bureaucratic inertia.

Nigeria’s prison population stood at 79,611 in April 2025—well beyond the system’s capacity of 50,153. According to World Prison Brief, 65.4% of these are awaiting trial. Many have languished in custody for years due to lost case files, slow trials, and lack of legal representation.

To combat this, the government must institute fast-track courts, digital case tracking, and decongestion task forces led by judicial officers.

Improving Health and Rehabilitation
Healthcare in prisons is equally appalling. Inmates rarely receive proper medical treatment, and mental health support is nearly nonexistent. Rehabilitation is central to justice, yet Nigeria’s prison environment actively sabotages it.

Encouragingly, more than 1,000 inmates are currently enrolled in academic programmes, including 282 pursuing diplomas and master’s degrees and six studying for PhDs. These efforts must be expanded to include vocational training and agricultural programs, allowing inmates to contribute to their own sustenance.

Reforming the Officers and the System
Prison officers also require better training, fair pay, and support to operate effectively in high-risk environments. Training must include ethics, human rights, security awareness, and crisis response.

Moreover, Nigeria must rethink incarceration itself. Alternative correctional methods—such as community service, fines, and restitution—can be more effective for minor offenses. A functional parole system would reward good behavior and reduce overpopulation.

Modernising Infrastructure
Many of Nigeria’s prisons are relics from the colonial era, with crumbling infrastructure and outdated layouts. To serve a population expected to exceed 400 million by 2025, Nigeria must invest in modern, well-equipped correctional centers.

The country should consider decentralizing prison management by empowering states to run their own facilities or exploring public-private partnerships to improve standards and oversight.

Justice for the Poor
Legal aid remains a major gap. Most inmates cannot afford lawyers, and this traps them in prolonged pre-trial detention. States must establish Offices of the Public Defender. Meanwhile, the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria must receive better funding and partner with civil society to ensure justice for the indigent.

The Moral Imperative
Nigeria must decide whether it wants a justice system rooted in punishment or one focused on rehabilitation. The current model—marked by starvation, overcrowding, and abuse—fails on every front.

Inmates remain part of society. Many are pre-trial detainees, some are wrongly accused, and others are guilty of minor infractions. Regardless of their past, every inmate has the potential for change.

Conclusion
Starving prisoners does not equate to justice. Ignoring their plight is not discipline—it is societal failure.

To restore humanity to Nigeria’s correctional system, all arms of government—the executive, judiciary, and legislature—must work together. Reform must be swift, transparent, and far-reaching.

Only then can Nigeria truly claim to be a just and democratic society—one that measures its strength not by how it treats the privileged, but by how it treats the powerless.