In a recent interview, Ms. Muchaneta Mundopa, the Head of the Justice, Integrity and Health Unit at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), highlighted a troubling statistic regarding the state of the prison system in Nigeria. Currently, there are 84,767 inmates in correctional facilities across the country, with a staggering 68 percent awaiting trial. “These figures represent real people—mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons—many of whom are facing charges for minor offenses,” she stated. Mundopa emphasized the need to consider the victims of crime as well, noting that the impact of these offenses lingers in communities regardless of whether the accused are eventually convicted.
Echoing her concerns, Aliyu Abubakar, the Director-General of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, addressed the issue of pretrial detainees, pointing out that the situation has worsened due to inadequate facilities and a remand system that detains individuals for minor infractions. “It’s alarming that many of these individuals may have spent longer in detention than they would have served had their cases been resolved in a timely manner,” Abubakar said, stressing the urgent need for reform.
Mundopa also raised critical human rights concerns, pointing out that holding individuals in limbo without a trial is not only unjust but also a violation of their fundamental rights. “The large disparity between those convicted and those awaiting trial suggests that Nigeria’s justice system is failing,” she warned. Reports have emerged of inmates spending 10 to 20 years in overcrowded facilities without ever facing a trial, experiencing harsh treatment including torture and inadequate access to food, water, and medical care.
While advocates do not call for a blanket release of these detainees, they argue that it is unacceptable to keep individuals incarcerated without a verdict. “The UNODC has once again brought to light the dire state of Nigerian prisons,” Mundopa stated. She called for urgent interventions, including access to justice programs, educational and vocational training for inmates, and regular prison inspections with swift responses to grievances. Importantly, she urged the federal government to collaborate with state authorities to alleviate overcrowding, particularly for those who should not be behind bars.
Mundopa also pointed out that many prisons were built during the colonial era, and little has been done to renovate them. “The aging facilities are unable to accommodate the growing population of inmates,” she explained. This outdated system not only fails to rehabilitate prisoners but often exacerbates the issue. “Unless judicial reforms are implemented to overhaul the criminal justice system, efforts to alleviate the plight of pretrial detainees will be ineffective,” she concluded, calling on Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to lead the necessary reform efforts.
