Nigeria: 55,000 inmates still awaiting trial
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Around 55,000 inmates are awaiting trial in Nigerian prisons, according to Lucy Abagi, director-general of the Public and Private Development Centre. The organisation says it has secured bail for more than 8,500 people and prevented 20,000 others from being imprisoned over four years, at a summit in Abuja.
Around 55,000 inmates are awaiting trial in Nigeria’s correctional centres, Lucy Abagi, director-general of the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), said on Tuesday, according to Punch. The organisation helps disadvantaged people access justice.
The figure covers only facilities for which the PPDC has data. Nigerian Correctional Service statistics reported 53,670 remand prisoners out of a total prison population of 82,195 on 29 June 2026, or around 65% of inmates. Abagi attributed the situation to the high cost of legal representation, which leaves many defendants without resources without a lawyer.
Over the past four years, the PPDC has secured bail for more than 8,500 Nigerians and prevented around 20,000 others from being imprisoned. The organisation has also supported 11 university legal clinics, with volunteer lawyers and police legal advisers, to review cases and assist inmates, its director-general said.
