ABUJA: Nigeria’s total inmate population has risen to 81,710, up from 69,946 in 2017, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS disclosed this in its Nigerian Correctional Service Statistics for 2017 to Q2 2025, released on Wednesday in Abuja.
The bureau said the Q2 2025 figure represents a 16.82 percent increase over the 2017 total.
The report presents data from the Nigerian Correctional Service covering the period from 2017 to the second quarter of 2025, including inmate population figures, correctional centres’ capacity, unsentenced inmates and admissions.
According to the report, Lagos State recorded the highest inmate population in Q2 2025 with 9,209 inmates against a correctional centres’ capacity of 4,167, resulting in an overcrowding ratio of 221 per cent.
Other states with high inmate populations include Ogun with 4,939 inmates, Kano with 4,667, and Enugu with 3,536.
Conversely, Kogi State had the lowest inmate population at 530, followed by Bayelsa with 696 and Benue with 777.
The NBS noted that the number of unsentenced inmates increased from 47,610 in 2017 to 53,790 in Q2 2025, representing a 12.98 percent rise over the period.
It further stated that between 2017 and Q2 2025, the capacity of correctional centres nationwide rose from 53,752 to 65,035, marking a 20.99 percent increase.
The bureau disclosed that by the end of 2024, Nigeria’s correctional facilities recorded a total of 176,536 inmate admissions across various offences. Remand and awaiting trial cases accounted for the highest number of admissions with 94,614 inmates, while condemned cases recorded the lowest at 2,883.
In terms of offence categories, stealing accounted for the highest admissions with 55,722 inmates, followed by other offences with 46,043, and armed robbery with 10,090.
Bribery and corruption recorded the least number of admissions at 27, followed by cybercrime with 48 and smuggling with 118.
