The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has revealed that nearly two-thirds of inmates in custodial centres across the country are awaiting trial, highlighting persistent congestion within Nigeria’s correctional facilities.
NCoS Controller-General, Sylvester Nwakuche, revealed this on Wednesday while presenting the Service’s 2025 budget performance and defending the 2026 estimates before the House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions in Abuja.
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According to him, as of 9 February, the total inmate population stood at 80,812. Of that figure, 51,955 inmates representing 64 per cent are awaiting trial, while 24,913 are convicted prisoners. Another 3,850 inmates fall under other detention classifications.
The high number of awaiting trial inmates has been a longstanding concern within Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
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Over the years, stakeholders have blamed the situation on delays in investigation and prosecution, frequent court adjournments, inadequate legal representation for indigent defendants, and the slow implementation of non-custodial measures.
The trend has continued to fuel overcrowding in custodial centres, with some facilities operating far beyond their designed capacity.
Mr Nwakuche described the Service as “a key component of Nigeria’s criminal justice system, responsible for safe custody, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates, as well as the implementation of non-custodial measures.”
He added that the Service is mandated to provide adequate feeding in line with the United Nations Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Offenders.
2025 budget performance
Reviewing the 2025 fiscal year, the Controller-General said the Service was appropriated ₦184.63 billion for personnel, overhead and capital expenditure.
Out of ₦124.31 billion approved for personnel costs, ₦112.68 billion, representing 90.6 per cent, was released and fully utilised for salaries, pensions and health insurance under the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS)
Recurrent overhead releases stood at 73.7 per cent, with the final tranche for October 2025 released in December. From the funds received, ₦27.28 billion, about 71.7 per cent, was spent on inmate feeding across custodial centres, leaving outstanding food ration liabilities of ₦10.75 billion.
He added that ₦6.49 billion was used to cover operational needs, including staff training, fuelling vehicles for court duties, electricity bills, security services, and maintenance of facilities.
Capital expenditure recorded the lowest performance. Of the ₦14.50 billion appropriated for capital projects, only ₦3.22 billion, which is 22.2 per cent, was released and utilised, leaving ₦11.27 billion unreleased.
Mr Nwakuche stressed that capital funding is essential for constructing and rehabilitating custodial centres, procuring operational vehicles, arms, and security equipment, deploying ICT systems, capturing inmate biometrics, and supporting agricultural programmes in prison farm centres.
Although not a revenue-generating agency, the Service realised ₦84.65 million as internally generated revenue in 2025.
He added that the Service currently has 33,024 personnel comprising uniformed officers, medical professionals and civilian staff deployed across the headquarters, zonal formations, state commands and custodial centres.
2026 budget proposal
For the 2026 fiscal year, the Service proposed a budget of ₦198.85 billion and appealed for additional funding to address pressing operational and infrastructure gaps.
The proposal includes ₦138.30 billion for personnel costs to cover a projected workforce of 37,541 officers across four salary structures.
A total of ₦50.40 billion was proposed for recurrent overhead, including inmate feeding and general operations. Of this amount, ₦14.83 billion is earmarked to feed an estimated inmate population of 91,100 at a daily rate of ₦1,125 per inmate.
Beyond the core proposal, Mr Nwakuche requested legislative approval for an additional ₦90.38 billion to boost capital funding, bringing total capital allocation to approximately ₦100.50 billion to address long-standing infrastructure deficits and expand capacity.
He also sought ₦37.99 billion to scale non-custodial measures across the 774 local government areas, as well as to clear outstanding liabilities,, including ₦30.38 billion in promotion arrears from 2019 to 2024 and ₦25.16 billion owed to local contractors for services rendered between 2023 and 2025.
The Controller-General reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to custodial security, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, while appreciating the committee’s oversight support.
Lawmakers push reforms
Earlier, Chairman of the House Committee on Reformatory Institutions, Chinedu Ogah (APC, Ebonyi), described the Nigeria Correctional Service as central to national security but lamented what he termed inadequate budgetary attention despite its critical responsibilities.
Mr Ogah said many custodial facilities were built over a century ago and have deteriorated significantly, contributing to recurring security breaches and operational strain.
“Our core duty here today is the budget defence of the 2026 Appropriations as presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said, adding that the committee would rigorously review both the Service’s 2025 performance and its funding needs for 2026.
The lawmaker urged President Tinubu to assent to the Correctional Service Trust Fund Bill passed by the National Assembly, noting that it would strengthen constitutional provisions empowering states to establish correctional facilities and reduce pressure on federal centres.
He emphasised that improved funding and decentralised infrastructure would enhance vocational training, agricultural initiatives and rehabilitation programmes, transforming custodial facilities into true reform institutions.
Mr Ogah also highlighted efforts to expand education within correctional centres, revealing that about 10 study centres of the National Open University of Nigeria have been established in custodial facilities nationwide, including one at the Abakaliki Correctional Centre developed in partnership with university authorities.
He said access to education has enabled several inmates to graduate and reintegrate into society, urging private-sector organisations to channel their corporate social responsibility initiatives toward correctional institutions to reduce recidivism.
The committee, he added, would conclude its assessment of the 2025 budget performance before final deliberations on the 2026 estimates.
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