The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged sweeping reforms in Nigeria’s correctional system, drawing attention to widespread systemic bias and inhumane conditions within detention facilities.
Speaking in a statement to commemorate World Mandela Day, the NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Dr Tony Ojukwu, OFR, SAN, called on stakeholders to honour Nelson Mandela’s legacy by embracing the values he stood for—justice, dignity, equality, and compassion.
Dr Ojukwu lamented the deplorable state of correctional centres across Nigeria, describing them as overcrowded, under-resourced, and bereft of adequate sanitation and healthcare facilities. He characterised this condition as not only a failure of infrastructure but also of justice and basic humanity.
He further condemned the widespread use of prolonged pre-trial detention, noting that thousands of indigent Nigerians are detained for years without trial simply due to their inability to afford legal representation or meet bail conditions.
“Meanwhile, the wealthy enjoy privileged access to quality legal defence and expeditious bail, thereby perpetuating a deeply entrenched structural bias within the justice system,” he observed.
Dr Ojukwu called on the federal and state governments, the judiciary, civil society organisations, and the private sector to commit to a coordinated overhaul of the country’s correctional infrastructure.
He advocated for reforms that include:
Significantly improving detention conditions, investing in alternatives to pre-trial detention, ensuring the swift and fair dispensation of justice, and upholding the fundamental rights of inmates in accordance with international human rights standards.
“It is only through such comprehensive reforms that Nigeria can align its correctional system with the principles of justice and human dignity that Mandela exemplified,” the NHRC concluded.