7,000 inmates pardoned amid move to decongest prisons
No fewer than 7,228 inmates were pardoned by federal and state governments, chief justices and nongovernmental organisations between January 2022 and December 2024, as part of efforts to decongest the nation’s overcrowded correctional centres.
The figures were obtained from media reports and compiled by our correspondent on Saturday.
According to recent data from the Nigerian Correctional Service, the total inmate population stands at 79,125 exceeding the system’s capacity of slightly more than 50,000.
Of this number, 52,903 inmates are awaiting trial. Most of these individuals face serious charges such as armed robbery, murder, and culpable homicide, which require lengthy investigations and prosecutions.
In 2022, 707 inmates were pardoned. The figure rose significantly in 2023 to 4,678, with another 1,843 pardoned in 2024.
A major release occurred on November 18, 2023, when 4,068 inmates were freed across the country due to their inability to pay fines.
The gesture initiated by the Federal Government was made possible through N585m raised by corporate organisations as part of their corporate social responsibility.
The NCoS spokesperson, Abubakar Umar, who recently spoke to our correspondent in an interview, attributed the overcrowding primarily to delays in the dispensation of justice.
To address these challenges, the NCoS adopted several measures, including facilitating judicial access for inmates by ensuring their timely appearance in court.
Non-custodial measures, such as community service and probation, have also been introduced to ease pressure on correctional centres.
The agency is collaborating with state governments to grant clemency to reformed inmates and has partnered with state judiciaries to conduct regular jail delivery exercises.
