Overcrowding: Over 64,000 inmates got non-custodial sentences in 4 yrs – NCoS
The Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, disclosed on Thursday that over 64,000 inmates have received non-custodial sentences between 2021 and 2025. The Controller of Corrections in charge of Probation, Ponyaka Nandang, disclosed this during the third public hearing of the Independent Investigative Panel on Alleged Corruption, Abuse of Power, Torture, and Other Inhumane Treatment against the […]
The Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, disclosed on Thursday that over 64,000 inmates have received non-custodial sentences between 2021 and 2025.
The Controller of Corrections in charge of Probation, Ponyaka Nandang, disclosed this during the third public hearing of the Independent Investigative Panel on Alleged Corruption, Abuse of Power, Torture, and Other Inhumane Treatment against the Nigerian Correctional Service, held in Abuja.
Non-custodial sentences are alternatives to imprisonment, which include community service, suspended sentences, fines, probation, and restitution orders.
These measures aim to rehabilitate offenders and reduce prison overcrowding by providing punishments that do not involve incarceration.
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Speaking before the panel, Nandang revealed that between 2021 and 2024, a total of 54,523 inmates, comprised of 49,463 men and 5,060 women, were placed under non-custodial measures nationwide.
Nandang added that another 10,406 inmates—comprising 9,207 men and 1,199 women—received similar sentences between January and June 2025.
He, however, noted that in spite of the growing use of these alternatives to incarceration, challenges, such as inadequate funding, limited staffing, and weak judicial collaboration, had persisted.
He warned that without stronger institutional support, the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of the non-custodial measures established under the NCoS Act of 2019 remained uncertain.
On his part, Deputy Controller-General of Corrections, Ibrahim Idris, said a total of 28,149 inmates were released last year across Nigeria after the payment of fines and compensations.