Nigeria Prisons PRO laments over population of awaiting trial inmates

dimeji akinloye

March 19, 2015 11:43 PM

The Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) PRO, Francis Enobore has called for the liberation of the bail conditions of prisoners.

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The Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) PRO, Francis Enobore has called for the liberation of the bail conditions of prisoners as a strategy to reduce congestion of awaiting trial inmates, noting they constitute 71 per cent of the prison population.

Speaking during a telephone interview with Punch on Thursday, March 19, Enobore attributed the incessant incidents of jailbreaks in the prisons to the long incarceration of inmates without trial.

He said these inmates are the ones behind the various cases of riots and attempted jailbreaks recorded in the different prison formation across the country recently.

The NPS spokesman also stated that non-custodial sentencing for petty crimes would reduce the huge prison population, which he puts around 57,000 inmates, which will also curb agitations for freedom through jailbreaks.

In response to the reason the inmates are not expressly taken to court, Enobore said investigating and prosecuting responsibilities of the inmates rests with the Police and the court. He noted that the NPS role is just to keep the accused in custody for certain period.

dimeji akinloye