Four state governors have pardoned over 120 inmates to reduce overcrowding in Nigerian prisons in the past three months.
The move is part of ongoing efforts to ease congestion in correctional facilities across the country.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State granted freedom to seven inmates and pardoned one on parole on January 1.
Similarly, Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State and Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State pardoned 56 inmates on the same day.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State also extended mercy to inmates, releasing 83 of them on January 12 and February 25.
Recent figures from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) show that the total number of inmates in the country has risen to 79,669, far exceeding the system’s capacity of just over 50,000.
Out of this number, 52,771 are awaiting trial for serious crimes such as armed robbery, murder, and culpable homicide, which require detailed investigations and lengthy court proceedings.
The Comptroller-General of the NCoS, Sylvester Nwakuche, recently revealed that the number of death row inmates has increased from 3,590 in September 2024 to 3,688 in March 2025. He said this reflects the growing challenges of overcrowding in Nigeria’s prison system.
Nwakuche also blamed state governors for not carrying out executions or converting death sentences to life imprisonment, which he believes contributes to the congestion.
“State governors are part of our challenges. They refuse to execute inmates on death row; neither do they commute their death sentences to life imprisonment,” he said.
