The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) revealed that the number of prisoners on death row has increased from 3,590 in September 2024 to 3,688 in March 2025, marking a 2.73% rise, equivalent to 98 additional inmates in six months.
During his screening before the Senate Committee on Interior, chaired by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Acting Controller-General of NCoS, Sylvester Nwakuche, emphasized the need for strategic collaboration with security and law enforcement agencies including the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services (DSS), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to expedite the justice process.
Nwakuche, who was accompanied by senior NCoS officials, addressed key challenges facing the correctional service, particularly the high number of inmates awaiting trial. He pointed out that state governors contribute to the problem by neither carrying out executions nor commuting death sentences to life imprisonment. He explained that if death sentences were converted to life terms, inmates could be transferred to less crowded rural correctional facilities, thereby easing congestion in urban prisons.
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To tackle this issue, Nwakuche pledged to strengthen cooperation with other security agencies, recognizing that correctional centers rely on prosecuting agencies to ensure the efficient processing of inmates. He highlighted discussions with the Inspector-General of Police regarding inmates who have been in detention for five to six years without sentencing—some of whom would have served shorter terms if convicted. He argued that such inmates should be discharged and acquitted to ease overcrowding.
Additionally, he engaged with the DSS Director-General and the Attorney-General of the Federation to push for faster legal proceedings, noting that many inmates are simply waiting for advice from the Director of Public Prosecution. Without proactive efforts to engage these agencies, he warned, unnecessary detentions would persist.
In response, Senator Oshiomhole assured that the committee would evaluate Nwakuche’s performance before submitting its report on his suitability for the substantive Controller-General position.
