The Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, has said that no fewer than 3,167 inmates across the custodial centres in Nigeria are on death row.
Spokesperson of NCoS, Mr Abubakar Umar, at media parley on Thursday in Abuja, disclosed that the number is out of the total of 74,824 inmates who are behind bars in the Nigerian prisons across the country as of December 12, 2022.
He also disclosed that a total of 52,178 inmates are awaiting trial out of which are 50,955 males while awaiting trial females are 1223.
On a number of convicts, Umar disclosed that only 19,479 inmates in custody were convicted, noting that out of this figure, 19,140 are males while the remaining 339 are females.
“It is heart-warming to inform you that current statistics of inmates undergoing various degree programmes in our facilities as at November 2022 is 1,282. Out of this number, 1,215 are undergraduate students, 62 are postgraduate diploma and Masters students 5 inmates are doctorate degree candidates.
“Also, a total number of 74 inmates have graduated from various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes,” he said.
Umar further noted that significant progress has been made in the area of inmates vocational training as they are equipped with skills to lead responsible life after incarceration.
According to him, the CG in the last one year has given over 100 inmates starter packs to enable them to reintegrate properly back into the society.
He said under the current leadership of the service, the prison has truly become a place for real reformation against what people were made to believe in the past.