Nigeria
Corrections in Nigeria
A federal Nigerian Correctional Service — with one of the lower imprisonment rates on this site, but a system above its stated capacity.
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Prisons in Nigeria are run federally by the Nigerian Correctional Service (renamed from the Nigerian Prisons Service by a 2019 Act, which added a non-custodial arm), and the figures below are that service's. The constitutional position changed in 2023: the Fifth Alteration (No. 15) Act deleted "Prisons" from the Exclusive Legislative List and placed "Correctional Services" on the Concurrent List, so a State House of Assembly may now make laws for correctional centres and custodial facilities in that State. Whether any state has since established its own correctional service is not established here.
The same idea, explained generally
- What is justice?
Justice is the principle that people should be treated according to rules that apply equally to everyone, decided by bodies that are authorised, constrained, and answerable. This guide explains what that means institutionally.
- Why do justice systems need oversight?
Justice institutions hold coercive powers, often operate out of public view, and make decisions that are hard to reverse. This guide explains the oversight mechanisms built to detect and correct errors, and their limits.
Sources
Sources
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (ICPR), Birkbeck, University of London · Academic · link verified 2026-07-27
The World Prison Brief country page for Nigeria (compiled by ICPR from the national prison administration, the Nigerian Correctional Service), read directly and re-confirmed by hand. Supports: a total prison population of 81,902 including pre-trial detainees at 22 June 2026; a rate of 34 per 100,000 based on an estimated national population of 238.95 million at mid-2026 (UN figures); an official capacity of 65,035 dated 30 June 2025; and an occupancy level of 125.6% dated 30 June 2025. The population figure is dated June 2026 while the capacity and occupancy carry a June 2025 date, so the figures do not share a single reference date.
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fifth Alteration) (No. 15) Act, 2023
National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (via the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre legislative library) · Legislation · 2023-03-03 · link verified 2026-10-10
The Act as printed in the Official Gazette (2023 No. 22) and certified by the Clerk to the National Assembly, in a copy hosted by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, a Nigerian civil-society legislative library rather than an official publisher. Dated 3 March 2023. Supports s 2: the Second Schedule is altered in Part I by deleting item 48 "Prisons", and in Part II by inserting paragraph 10A "Correctional Services", under which the National Assembly may make laws for the Federation or any part thereof, and a House of Assembly may make laws for the State, with respect to correctional service and the establishment of correctional centres and custodial facilities, and of authorities to manage them. Establishes the legislative allocation only; it does not establish whether any state has since set up a correctional service.