3,167 Inmates Currently On Death Row - NCoS

Assistant Controller of Corrections and spokesman for the Nigerian Correctional Service, Umar Abubakar, announced in Abuja on Thursday that 3,167 prisoners are currently on death row.

According to him, they are made up of 62 women and 3,105 men.

He continued by saying that there are currently 339 women and 19,140 men inmates in the correctional facilities.

“As of Monday, Dec. 15, we have 74,824 inmates in the correctional centres.

“Also in the correctional centres are 50,955 male and 1,223 female awaiting-trial persons,’’ he said.

He continued by saying that the management of offenders had transitioned from punitive to restorative and corrective measures.

He claimed that this was reflected in the staff's outward behaviour, mentality, attitude to policy, and all other service endeavours.

Mamman Salisu, the service's principal staff officer, had earlier claimed that service members had received training to defend against external threats.

Salisu said that in order to stop more attacks on the detention facilities, extra weapons had been acquired and guards had been put on red alert.

“Before now, our men were trained to prevent attack from within, but they have now been trained to counter external attacks on our facilities.

“Arms and ammunition have been procured and we now have a presidential directive that anyone who attacks the custodial centres should not leave to tell the story.

“Our men have been put on red alert to gun down anyone who to intrudes on our custodial centres,’’ Salisu said.