Daud Olatunji
The Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Mr. Sylvester Nwakuche, has blamed state governors for the worsening congestion in Nigerian prisons, citing their refusal to sign execution orders or commute death sentences to life imprisonment.
Speaking during his screening before the Senate Committee on Interior, chaired by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Nwakuche disclosed that the number of prisoners on death row has surged to 3,688, marking an increase of 98 inmates in the past six months.
Nwakuche described the situation in correctional facilities as alarming, stressing the need for urgent action to expedite justice delivery and decongest prisons.
“Our greatest challenge is the overwhelming number of inmates awaiting trial. This situation worsens daily because governors refuse to sign execution orders or convert death sentences to life terms,” he stated.
He noted that executing or commuting death sentences would ease congestion by transferring some inmates to less crowded rural facilities.
The NCoS boss also lamented that many inmates have been detained for five to six years without trial, even when their potential sentences would have been shorter than their current time in prison.
To address these issues, Nwakuche called for stronger collaboration with key security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
“There are inmates who have spent years in our facilities without trial. Many are simply waiting for the Director of Public Prosecution’s advice, yet their fate hangs in limbo,” he said.
He revealed that he had engaged top security officials, including the Inspector-General of Police, the DSS Director-General, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, to push for a faster justice system.
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