In a significant revelation at a regional gathering in Abuja, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed that state offenders make up a staggering 93 percent of the country’s prison population. Only seven percent of inmates are held for federal infractions. The minister stressed that a vast number of these individuals have no business being behind bars in the first place.
The landmark address took place during the Regional Conference on the Classification of Prisoners and the Use of Technology in Prisons in Africa. The event was jointly hosted by the African Correctional Services Association (ACSA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
According to Tunji-Ojo, the Federal Government has pivoted toward decongesting these overcrowded centers by prioritizing the release of minor offenders.
“93% of our inmates in Nigeria are state offenders. Only 7% are federal offenders. And of this 93%, I want to tell you before this president came on board, a lot of them were for minor offences that had no need for incarceration,” the minister stated.
Shortly after taking the helm of the ministry, Tunji-Ojo initiated an audit aimed at identifying inmates detained simply because they could not pay small fines or court-ordered compensations:
“When I became minister, I called my permanent secretary, I called the Controller General of the Correctional Service, and I said, listen, give me the data, the record of people who are in correctional centres for fines and compensation of less than 500,000 or something. And guess what? Over 4,000 people,” he recalled.
He argued that keeping such individuals locked up is an unnecessary drain on public funds, pointing out the financial irony of the situation:
“I said, what is the sense in this? Because I feed them in a year with more than 10 times of the fine. So how is the government benefiting? And we were able to clear that, and in one day, we decongested our correctional centre by 5% in one day. In one day,” he added.
Tunji-Ojo urged correctional leaders across Africa to critically re-evaluate their prison management frameworks and look closely at why their facilities are full.
“The question is this. Is your correctional centre rightfully overcrowded? That is the question. You have to look at those particular offences. You will realise that more than 30, 40, 50 percent are offences that do not warrant incarceration,” he noted.
The minister also reported a dramatic plunge in recidivism rates, which plummeted from approximately 13,000 annual cases in 2023 to just 1,000 cases last year. He credited this sharp decline to robust rehabilitation, academic opportunities, and vocational programs.
Currently, educational initiatives are thriving within the system. The Nigerian Correctional Service has 62 inmates pursuing postgraduate studies, 261 enrolled in undergraduate programs, and 1,125 undergoing formal basic education. Furthermore, there are 18 National Open University centres operating directly within the facilities, alongside 9,582 inmates participating in various vocational and non-formal rehabilitation programs.
The Minister proudly shared that Nigeria has maintained a clean record of zero jailbreaks or successful attacks on custodial centers for three consecutive years. This security milestone is largely due to advanced data-sharing systems and tighter cooperation among security bodies.
To illustrate, he shared an incident where an escaped inmate was swiftly recaptured while trying to procure a passport:
“Immediately he put his finger at the level of Nigeria Immigration Service to procure a passport. Immigration saw it immediately that he was an inmate. And immediately they reached out to correctional service and he was arrested right there,” he shared.
Also contributing to the dialogue, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, emphasized that Nigeria’s correctional system is continually evolving under the legal framework of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act of 2019.
Nwakuche highlighted that scientific prisoner classification helps identify inmate risk levels, safeguards vulnerable individuals, and ensures that resources are directed efficiently to reformative programs.
He also emphasized that deploying advanced technology is crucial for maintaining clear records and institutional transparency, noting that no single agency has all the answers.
Stressing the value of international cooperation, Nwakuche concluded:
“We have a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, share practical experiences and collectively develop solutions that will strengthen correctional systems across Africa,”
