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Lagos, Rivers Top In Prison Congestion
Lagos State is currently leading in prison congestion among states in the country, with a total of 7,396 out of the national total of 68,686.
The prison has a capacity for 3,927 prisoners, indicating that it is almost 100 per cent over-filled, a trend that President Muhammadu Buhari has called a national scandal.
According to a new data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, yesterday, Lagos is closely followed by Kano and Rivers States with 4,424 and 4,183 prison inmates’ population respectively.
Kano can conveniently accommodate just 2,116 prisoners.
Rivers State has one of the worst prisoner congestion ratio as it can take only 1,354, compared to the 4,183 prisoners it accommodates at present.
Bayelsa and Ekiti States have the lowest number of prisoners, with 444 and 585 as at last year.
Even then the two states also failed to reduce the trend as their cells can accommodate only 200 and 400 prisoners.
The NBS’s prison statistics catalogued prison population by Total detainees, prison capacity and number of un-sentenced detainees by state and Year and Prison Inmate Population by Gender from 2011 to 2016.
The study showed a rise in prison population from 65,030 in 2015 to 68,686 last year.
It also showed a rise in over-population of the prisons.
In 2015, the prisons capacity was 49,965.
But the prisoners were 65,033.
In 2016, the capacity rose to 50,803, as the inmates also increased to 68,686.
More revealing is the gender skewness of the population: there are far more men in prisons than women. While male inmates last year were 67,329, the women were 1,357.
The gender ratio in 2015 was similar, 63,668 to 1,357.
In terms of the beliefs of the inmates, there were more Muslims kept in jail between 2015 and 2016, more than Christians.
NBS data shows that 59,940 Christians were incarcerated in the two year period, in contrast with 71,402 Muslims. The number of traditionalists, atheists and others was 11,506.
On 6th October, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed concern over the state of the nation’s prisons, noting that it is a national scandal that many prisons are overcrowded by 90 per cent.
He spoke when he hosted a delegation of the judicial arm of government led by the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“We need a new approach to prison congestion. It is a national scandal that many prisons are overcrowded by 90 per cent,” he said.
He stressed the need to put in place urgent new measures to speedily decongest the prisons across the country.
He stated that the call had become imperative not only in the interest of justice but to save the cost of prisons’ maintenance and boost the welfare of prisoners.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.