Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo says roughly two-thirds of inmates in Nigeria’s correctional facilities are still awaiting trial, a situation he believes demands stronger collaboration between the federal and state governments.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, he noted: “We can work out a synergy… states that want to have their own correctional centers, by law, they’re entitled to have it and federal too, but we must also understand that about 72 per cent of our inmates are state offenders and about 67 per cent or so are waiting trials. So it means two-thirds are state offenders, but the Federal Government is the one taking responsibility now.”
He stressed that the Tinubu administration is focused on solutions, not excuses. “As Mr. President will always say, ‘We were elected to produce results, not to make excuses.’… we will interface with our governors… to have a shared strategy towards solving these correctional problems.”
Tunji-Ojo recalled that in July, the Federal Government freed 4,550 inmates after reviewing cases involving minor, bailable offences and prolonged detentions. He said the current administration has invested heavily in improving correctional facilities since 2023.
“But I need to put it on record that this particular administration has done a lot in the last two years in terms of putting resources and trying to make sure that we fix our correctional centres,” he added.
His comments follow a jailbreak at Keffi custodial centre in Nasarawa State, where 16 inmates escaped, though some were later recaptured.
