The Nigeria Correctional Service as disclosed that awaiting trial inmates account for 64 per cent of the total custodial population, highlighting persistent congestion in correctional facilities nationwide.
Controller-General Sylvester Nwakuche presented the figures on Wednesday during the agency’s 2025 budget performance and 2026 estimates defence before the House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions.
As of February 9, 2026, the total inmate population stood at 80,812. Of this number, 51,955 are awaiting trial, 24,913 are convicted, and 3,850 fall under other detention categories.
Nwakuche described the NCoS as a critical component of the criminal justice system, responsible for custodial and non-custodial services, safe custody, rehabilitation, and reintegration of offenders.
On the 2025 budget, he said the Service received ₦184.63bn in total appropriation. Personnel cost releases stood at 90.6 per cent, with ₦112.68bn utilised for salaries, pensions, and health insurance.
Recurrent overhead releases were at 73.7 per cent, with ₦27.28bn spent on inmate feeding nationwide. Outstanding obligations for food rations stood at ₦10.75bn.
Capital funding recorded the lowest implementation level. Of the ₦14.50bn appropriated for capital projects, only ₦3.22bn—22.2 per cent—was released and utilised, leaving ₦11.27bn unreleased.
Nwakuche stressed that capital expenditure is crucial for constructing and rehabilitating custodial centres, procuring operational vehicles and security equipment, and supporting prison farm centres.
For 2026, he proposed a budget of ₦198.85bn, including ₦138.30bn for personnel costs and ₦50.40bn for recurrent overhead. He also requested an additional ₦90.38bn to boost capital funding to about ₦100.50bn.
He sought legislative approval to clear outstanding liabilities, including ₦30.38bn in promotion arrears covering 2019 to 2024 and ₦25.16bn owed to local contractors.
Committee Chairman Chinedu Ogah called for urgent reforms, increased funding, and improved infrastructure. He urged President Bola Tinubu to assent to the Correctional Service Trust Fund Bill, noting it would strengthen state-level correctional capacity and ease pressure on federal facilities.
Ogah disclosed that about 10 study centres of the National Open University of Nigeria have been established in custodial facilities nationwide, offering inmates free access to education. He commended correctional officers for their service under challenging conditions and urged private sector organisations to direct corporate social responsibility initiatives toward correctional institutions.
