Nigeria’s Prisons in Crisis: Panel Exposes Terrible Living Conditions

• Poor Prison Conditions: A federal government panel reports that Nigeria’s correctional centres remain in terrible and unbearable conditions.
• Lack of Legal Aid: Many inmates are stuck in prison due to the lack of legal representation, as the Legal Aid Council is underfunded and overwhelmed.
• Call for Action: The panel urges the Attorney-General to hold an emergency meeting to address the poor state of prisons and improve inmates’ welfare.

A federal government visitation panel has reported that the conditions in Nigeria’s correctional centres (prisons) remain terrible and unbearable for inmates.

 

The panel, led by Mr. Olawale Fapohunda (SAN), revealed that many inmates are suffering because they lack legal representation.

 

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The Legal Aid Council, which is responsible for providing free legal services, is overwhelmed and unable to handle the large number of cases.

While presenting the panel’s report to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Fapohunda said they interacted with different categories of inmates and found their living conditions unacceptable.

He explained that many inmates are also suffering from health problems, but the prison authorities cannot afford to provide proper medical care.

 

Fapohunda urged the Attorney-General and the federal government to take immediate action to improve the welfare of inmates and conditions in correctional centres. He also called for an emergency meeting of the Body of Attorneys-General to discuss the poor state of prisons and find practical solutions.

He highlighted that many inmates remain in prison longer than the maximum punishment for their offences simply because they do not have legal representation.

“The working group found that a large number of inmates do not have lawyers to defend them. Although the Legal Aid Council is supposed to assist these inmates, it is underfunded and cannot make a significant impact,” Fapohunda said.

In response, the Attorney-General, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, explained that the panel was created to ensure fair access to justice and to prevent people from being detained unnecessarily.

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He added that this initiative is part of the government’s efforts under President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda, which aligns with Nigeria’s commitment to both national laws and international human rights standards.

 

 

 

 

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