Nearly two-thirds of all inmates in Nigeria’s correctional facilities have never been convicted, the head of the Nigeria Correctional Service has revealed, exposing the depth of congestion crippling the country’s prison system.
Controller-General Sylvester Nwakuche made the disclosure on Wednesday, February 11, while defending the agency’s budget before the House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions in Abuja.
As of February 9, 2026, correctional facilities held 80,812 inmates. Of those, 51,955 roughly 64 per cent, are awaiting trial.
Only 24,913 have been convicted, with 3,850 held under other categories. Many facilities, built decades ago, now operate far beyond capacity.
Reviewing 2025 spending, Nwakuche said the Service received ₦184.63 billion in total appropriation.
Personnel costs consumed ₦112.68 billion of the ₦124.31 billion approved, while ₦27.28 billion went toward feeding inmates, leaving ₦10.75 billion in unpaid food obligations.
Capital spending was most troubling. Only ₦3.22 billion of the ₦14.50 billion earmarked for infrastructure was released, just 22.2 per cent.
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For 2026, Nwakuche proposed a budget of ₦198.85 billion, including ₦14.83 billion for feeding an estimated 91,100 inmates at ₦1,125 daily per person.
He requested an additional ₦90.38 billion in capital funding to address crumbling infrastructure and sought ₦37.99 billion for non-custodial sentencing across all 774 local governments.
He also flagged outstanding debts totalling ₦55.54 billion in unpaid promotion arrears and contractor obligations.
Committee Chairman Chinedu Ogah described the Service as essential to national security but chronically underfunded.
He urged President Tinubu to sign the Correctional Service Trust Fund Bill and called on the private sector to support prison reform.
Ogah noted that some facilities were built over a century ago and highlighted the establishment of 10 university study centres inside prisons offering free education to inmates.