4,000. Here is the number of prisoners released in Nigeria as part of a process of decongesting prisons. The announcement was made this Sunday by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. “We announced the release of 4,068 prisoners (…) detained due to their inability to pay their fines,” declared the minister in a message posted on the social network X after visiting the Kuje detention center the day before , near Abuja.
“Only detainees whose fines do not exceed 1 million naira (or 1,113 euros) were chosen to benefit from this mass release,” interior ministry spokesperson Ajibola Afonja told AFP. . Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo thus canceled fines totaling 585 million naira (or 651,000 euros), added the spokesperson.
Years to wait before judgment
This decision is part of a process of decongesting overcrowded prisons in Nigeria desired by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Head of State ultimately wishes to integrate new practices within the prison system, in particular the activation of non-custodial measures.
In Nigeria, the United Nations deplores an overpopulation rate of 147% due to the excessive use of pretrial detention. Detainees often wait several years before being tried.