NGO Calls For Urgent Reforms To Address Rising Pre-Trial Inmate Population In Nigeria

Zarephath Aid, a non-governmental organization, has urged comprehensive reforms to tackle the growing number of pre-trial detainees in Nigeria’s correctional facilities. Marking Human Rights Day, the group’s founder, Ben Abraham, decried systemic failures within the nation’s criminal justice system.

“Eighty percent of inmates in our correctional centres are pre-trial detainees,” Abraham stated. “This is not just a crisis; it’s a blatant violation of human rights.”

The organization highlighted key issues driving prolonged detentions, including administrative delays, insufficient transportation to courts, and the failure of police to transmit case files to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

“Some individuals have spent over a decade awaiting trial because their case files are lost in the system,” Abraham explained. “This injustice denies them the opportunity to defend themselves and contravenes their constitutional rights.”

Zarephath Aid shared recent achievements of its legal aid programme, such as securing the release of Moses Abiodun and Kazeem Adeshina, who had spent 16 years in custody without trial due to police negligence in transmitting their files to Ogun State.

“These men were abandoned in the system. This is the grim reality faced by countless forgotten citizens,” Abraham said. The NGO also intervened in the case of another inmate who remained detained for over a year despite having his charges struck out.

To address the crisis, Zarephath Aid proposed the following reforms:

• Audit Correctional Facilities: The Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee, alongside state-level counterparts, should audit facilities to identify and address stalled cases.
• Create Ad Hoc Panels: Panels staffed by retired magistrates or judges should be established to expedite the issuance of legal advice and reduce case backlogs.
• Government-NGO Partnerships: Collaborations similar to the successful prison decongestion programme under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration should be implemented.

Quoting Nelson Mandela, Abraham emphasized the urgency of action: “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity. We must act now to ensure justice for all.”

The organization’s call comes amid rising concerns about human rights abuses and overcrowding in Nigeria’s correctional facilities.