Awaiting trial inmates: Lagos recorded 5,603 in 2015 – NBS

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says Lagos State has the highest number of awaiting trial inmates based on the 2015 data from prison population.

The NBS made this known in a report on “Number of Un-Sentenced Detainees and Overall Prison Population by State and Year (2011-2015)”  released in Abuja.

The says report Lagos state recorded 5,603 awaiting trial inmates out of a prison population of 6,522, followed by Rivers and Edo with 3,625 and 2,434, respectively.

“Conversely, Yobe and Borno States had the least numbers of 163 and 216 out of a prison population of 562 and 603, respectively.

“Of the 36 states of the federation, Lagos State had the highest prison population in the country with 6,522 inmates, closely followed by Kano and Rivers with populations of 4,082 and 4,054, respectively.

“The overall prison population in the country for 2015 was 62,260 as against 56, 059 in 2014.”

According to the report, the increases in prison population in 2015 represent about 11.06 per cent growth in comparison to the overall prison population in 2014.

“Overall, 72.53 per cent of the prison population during the period under reference were un-sentenced.’’

The data were supplied administratively by the Nigerian Prisons Service, verified and validated by the NBS.