Over 66% of the Nigerian prisoners still waiting for the NCOS trial

A new report of the Nigerian corrective service has revealed that over 66 % of prisoners in the country’s correction centers are still awaiting trial, raising new concerns about prolonged and delayed justice detention.

As of July 14, 2025, the total number of prisoners throughout the country was 81,950, but only 28,155 were sentenced. The remaining 53,795 – including 52,378 males and 1,417 females – have yet to face the process.

The report aroused public indignation, with critics who accused the criminal justice system of failing many Nigerians who have been held behind bars for years without judicial proceedings.

One of these cases is that of the Nwibari Gospel, which was recently freed after spending 18 years in prison without trial. Arrested at the age of 14, the release of Nwibari came through the intervention of a non -governmental organization, Haven360 Foundation.

His brother, Paul Kinani, who had presumed him dead, described the release as a miracle.

In another worrying relationship, Momoh Abubakar Otuhuo, former school owner and leader of the community, has been held without trial since 2022. Sources claim that his arrest was following a political controversy with a former president of the local government.

He and three more, including Idris Abdul Malik, are said to be under the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) without access to legal proceedings or family visits.

Similarly, Natari Danladi, a former youth leader, was held in possession for four years without trial.

The Committee for the public petitions of the House of Representatives convened the DSS, the Nigerian army and the office of the Prosecutor General for his case.

A hearing initially scheduled for July 16 was postponed to 31 July after the death of the former president Muhammadu Buhari.

Human rights groups have asked for urgent reforms in the Nigerian judicial system, noting that thousands of lives are wasted due to delayed or absent processes.

“This level of pre-processing possession is a violation of human rights,” he told Platform Times of a lawyer lawyer. “Many of these people can be innocent but are already undergoing the punishment of guilt.”

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