New figures released by the Nigerian Correctional Service reveal that a staggering 66% of inmates in Nigeria's prisons are awaiting trial, highlighting deep-rooted challenges in the country's criminal justice system, Sahara reporters gathered.

As of July 14, the total number of inmates stood at 81,950. Of this figure, only 28,155 have been convicted, while 53,795 inmates remain in detention without trial. Among the pre-trial detainees, 52,378 are male, and 1,417 are female.

The data has intensified calls for urgent judicial reform, as thousands continue to languish behind bars, many without being formally charged or tried in court.

The statistics come on the heels of widely publicised cases like that of Gospel Nwibari, a 32-year-old man who was recently released after 18 years in prison without trial. Arrested at age 14, Nwibari was forgotten by the justice system until advocacy efforts by the Haven360 Foundation secured his freedom.

 “We looked for him everywhere. Getting that call was like a miracle,” said his brother, Paul Kinani.

In another unresolved case, Momoh Abubakar Otuhuo, a former school proprietor, and Idris Abdul Malik have reportedly been detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2022, allegedly over a political fallout with a former local government chairman. Despite over two years in custody, they have not been charged in court, nor have family members been granted access.

Similarly, the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has summoned the DSS, Nigerian Army, and the Office of the Attorney General over the four-year detention without trial of youth leader Ntari Danladi, who was arrested in Taraba State in 2021.

A scheduled hearing on the matter, originally set for July 16, was postponed to July 31 due to the recent death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, according to Danladi’s lawyer, Pius Danba Pius.

Legal experts and civil society organisations continue to decry what they call a "culture of indefinite detention", urging the federal government to implement judicial reforms and enforce detainees’ constitutional rights.

While Nigeria's Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) was designed to speed up trials and reduce prison overcrowding, enforcement remains inconsistent nationwide.