By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
CUSTODIAL CENTRES across Nigeria are reportedly housing 3,833 inmates on death row, with Ogun and Rivers States topping the national list, according to figures released by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
The country’s inmate population now stands at 81,558, of which 3,754 are male death row inmates and 79 are female.
NCS reveals that Ogun State is leading with 568 inmates sentenced to death, followed by Rivers with 504, Enugu 328, Lagos 314, and Delta 256. States with the lowest death row figures include Osun, which currently has none, Ebonyi and Oyo with two each, Kogi three, and Anambra four.
Service Public Relations Officer, Deputy Controller Abubakar Umar, confirmed the figures during a briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
He dismissed recent claims suggesting that Lagos, Kaduna, and Kano had the highest numbers of inmates on death row, saying such figures were inaccurate and not supported by official records.
Umar attributed the state-by-state disparities to variations in crime prevalence, judicial processes, and the administrative decisions of state governments, particularly in signing death warrants or granting clemency.
The Correctional Service revealed that inmates are categorised by their legal status, including Awaiting Trial, Short-term Convicts, Long-term Convicts, Lifers, Inmates on Death Row, Debtors, Females, and Juveniles.
As of July 22, 2025, 24,252 inmates had been convicted, accounting for 29 per cent of the prison population.
Of these, 23,725 were men and 457 women.
Those awaiting trial stood at 53,473, representing 66 per cent of the total inmate count.
The NCoS acknowledged that housing inmates on death row presents ongoing challenges, particularly around overcrowding and cost implications.
However, Umar noted that many state governments have formed prerogative of mercy committees to review the status of long-term inmates and those facing capital punishment.
One such case is Ogbonna Igbojionu, a generator technician from Abia State, who was sentenced to death in 2003 after a violent robbery in Ogun State led to the death of a security guard.
After more than two decades behind bars, Ogbonna’s sentence was first commuted to life imprisonment in 2021 and subsequently lifted through the Ogun State governor’s clemency powers on June 12, 2025, as part of Democracy Day celebrations.
Umar added that the Correctional Service continues to provide inmates on death row with access to education and vocational training, enabling them to contribute meaningfully while in custody.
“The Service doesn’t allow them to wallow endlessly under the toga of death sentence,” he said.
