In a major push to reform the country’s correctional system, the Federal Government has released 4,550 inmates, reducing Nigeria’s prison population from over 86,000 to approximately 81,450.
Interior Minister Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced the mass release during talks with House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions Chairman Chinedu Ogah in Abuja. The freed individuals included those held for minor offenses and others who had endured extended detention periods.
“This is part of broader prison reforms aimed at aligning our correctional practices with global best standards,” Tunji-Ojo stated, emphasizing the government’s duty to protect detainees’ dignity.
“Our correctional centres house some of the most vulnerable people… It is our moral and constitutional obligation to treat them with dignity and fairness.”
The Ministry’s Director of Press, Ozoya Imohimi, confirmed the minister’s commitment to overhauling the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), noting: “We are working to strengthen our institutions so that even the most forgotten citizens are not left behind.”
Ogah praised the initiative as reflecting President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” pledging legislative support for continued reforms.
“My committee will maintain robust oversight to ensure… a just and humane correctional system,” he vowed.
The move follows growing concerns about Nigeria’s overcrowded prisons, where thousands await trial in often harsh conditions. Experts say the releases mark a critical step toward more rehabilitative justice approaches.
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