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CORRECTIONS There are maximum, medium, and minimum security prisons and some "open" prisons in many metropolitan cities of Nigeria. (Pre-colonial Nigeria did not employ prisons as penalties. Punishment took the form of fines, mutilation, castration, excommunication, lynching, and dedication to the gods, whereby the offender became an untouchable. The British Imperial Government introduced the prison system in Lagos between 1861-1900. By 1960, there was a prison in every provincial headquarters in Nigeria; some District Headquarters established minimum security prisons). The largest prison complex in Nigeria, which has both medium and maximum security branches, is Kirikiri Prison, in Lagos. As of 1983, there were a total of 123 prisons, 2 borstal homes, and 244 county lock-ups in Nigeria. (Borstal homes are categorized as between a minimum and maximum security prison. Most offenders in these homes are young and have not committed very serious offenses). The only women's prison in Nigeria is located at Kirikiri, Lagos. It is a medium security prison and is located adjacent to the only maximum security prison in the country. In response to the severe economic problems of Nigeria and the over-crowding in Nigerian prisons, community-based corrections exist for offenders convicted of trivial crimes. These community-based programs include labor camps, open prison incarceration, and community service.

Most of these convicted prisoners are incarcerated in county jails, minimum security prisons, or what used to be called provincial prisons. (In July 1980, there were 837 convicted inmates in Kirikiri maximum security prison, 832 convicts in Ikoyi medium security prison, and 510 convicts in Maiduguri medium security prison. There are few female prisoners. In 1988, female prisoners in Nigeria numbered 298. There are no systematic records kept of Nigerian inmates by type of offense. However a study of 450 prisoners in four Nigerian prisons, including the only maximum security at Kirikiri, conducted in 1980, revealed the following: drug crimes - 1%, violent crimes - 11%, property crimes - 70%, and other crimes - 18%. Nigeria has a centralized system of prison administration. In effect, every prison in Nigeria is a federal prison. Similar to the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian prisons fall under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a department which is reminiscent of the Home Office in England. At the top of the organizational hierarchy of the Nigerian prisons is the Director of Prisons. He is appointed by the President of Nigeria only with approval of the Public Service Commission. The overall chain of command in the Nigerian Prison Service, from the highest to the lowest, is the following: Director of Prisons, Deputy Director of Prisons, Assistant Director of Prisons, Chief Superintendent of Prisons, Superintendent of Prisons, Assistant Superintendent of Prisons, Cadet Superintendent of Prisons, Chief Warden Grade I, Chief Warden Grade II, Assistant Chief Warden, Sergeant, Corporal, and Warden. There is a Deputy Director of Prisons for each of the thirty states. The maximum security prison and every medium security prison are placed under the leadership of a Chief Superintendent of Prisons or a Superintendent of Prisons. Prison wardens must hold at least a First School Learning Certificate prior to their training. The minimum qualification for entrance into the prison cadet school is a high school diploma. In addition, university graduates have begun to join the Nigerian prisons service. Nigeria has no parole system. Persons convicted of political crimes and inmates serving a life sentence can be granted a pardon by the Nigerian President. Inmates can also gain time off for good behavior or lose time for bad conduct. Inmates in all prisons are allowed to work on community programs or projects of the Nigerian Ministry of Works. They can also attend classes to obtain a primary school or high school diploma. Some inmates are allowed to participate in correspondence programs with schools in Nigeria and Great Britain in order to obtain an ordinary or advanced General Certificate of Education. Prisons do not have organized university degree programs. All prisons have visiting days. Only minimum security and open prisons have weekend leave programs. Vocational education is considered central to offender rehabilitation in maximum and medium security prisons. Group therapy and medical care is available to all prisoners. As of year 2001, prison and detention conditions remained harsh and life threatening. Most prisons were built 70 to 80 years ago and lack functioning basic facilities. Lack of potable water, inadequate sewage facilities, and severe overcrowding resulted in unhealthy and dangerous sanitary conditions. Many prisons held 200 to 300 percent more persons than they were designed to hold. The Government acknowledged the problem of overcrowding as the main cause of the harsh conditions common in the prison system. According to government sources, approximately 45,000 inmates were held in a system of 148 prisons and 83 satellite prisons, with a maximum designed capacity of 33,348 prisoners. Some human rights groups estimate a higher number of inmates--perhaps as many as 47,000. Several times in 2000, authorities attempted to ease congestion in some smaller prisons. For example, in honor of the Eid-El-Kabir in March 2000, the Governor of Kano State released 159 prisoners, 52 of whom were pretrial detainees held without charge. Those released also were provided with travel funds to return to their homes. During the year 2001, the Governor of Kaduna State, on the recommendation of a state court judge, made a similar release of prisoners. In December five teenagers were released from Suleja prison, in Niger State, through the help of local NGO's. Disease was pervasive in the cramped, poorly ventilated facilities, and chronic shortages of medical supplies were reported. Prison inmates were allowed outside their cells for recreation or exercise only irregularly, and many inmates had to provide their own food. Only those with money or whose relatives brought food regularly had sufficient food; petty corruption among prison officials made it difficult for money provided for food to reach prisoners. Poor inmates often relied on handouts from others to survive. Beds or mattresses were not provided to many inmates, forcing them to sleep on concrete floors, often without a blanket. Prison officials, police, and security forces often denied inmates food and medical treatment as a form of punishment or to extort money from them. Harsh conditions and denial of proper medical treatment contributed to the deaths of numerous prisoners. A reputable human rights organization estimated in 1999 that at least one inmate died per day in the Kiri Kiri prison in Lagos alone. According to the Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) a nongovernmental organization (NGO), dead inmates promptly are buried on the prison compounds, usually without notifying their families. A nationwide estimate of the number of inmates who die daily in the country's prisons is difficult to obtain because of poor record keeping by prison officials. PRAWA and other NGO's alleged that prison conditions were worse in rural areas than in urban districts. In practice women and juveniles are held with male prisoners, especially in rural areas. The extent of abuse in these conditions was unknown. In most cases, women accused of minor offenses are released on bail; however, women accused of serious offenses are detained. There is no formalized procedure regarding the separation of detainees and convicted prisoners, and the method of confinement solely depends on the capacity of the facility; as a result, detainees often are housed with convicted prisoners. In March the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) visited Owerri Prison in Imo State. According to reporting, 90 percent of those in prison were awaiting trial. Multiple adjournments in some cases had led to serious delays. In 2000 President Obasanjo directed the Ministry of Justice to create a judicial administration committee to address the questions of overcrowding, prison conditions, and rehabilitation. The NHRC began working with the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Resources Consortium during the year 2001 to draft a new prisons bill to conform with minimum standard rules of prisons practice and provisions of the U.N. The NHRC also has urged the Federal Government and police not to detain persons in civil cases. During the year 2001, the Government allowed international and domestic NGO's, including PRAWA and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), regular access to prisons; however, it did not allow them continuous access to all prisons. PRAWA and the ICRC published newsletters on their work. The Government admits that there are problems with its incarceration and rehabilitation programs and worked with groups such as these to address those problems. However, groups such as Rotary International report difficulties at the local level in gaining access to prisons and jails to do rehabilitation programs. In August local media reported that the Inspector General of the police decided to transfer all current members of the Lagos-based Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) known as the "Scorpions." Reportedly there had been numerous allegations against SARS officers for corruption, including aiding and abetting criminal groups.

WORLD FACTBOOK OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS

NIGERIA

by

Obi N.I. Ebbe State University of New York at Brockport

PRISON

1. Description.

Number of prisons and type. There are maximum,

medium, and minimum security prisons and some "open" prisons in many metropolitan cities of Nigeria. (Pre-colonial Nigeria did not employ prisons as penalties. Punishment took the form of fines, mutilation, castration, excommunication, lynching, and dedication to the gods, whereby the offender became an untouchable. The British Imperial Government introduced the prison system in Lagos between 1861-1900. By 1960, there was a prison in every provincial headquarters in Nigeria; some District Headquarters established minimum security prisons). The largest prison complex in Nigeria, which has both medium and maximum security branches, is Kirikiri Prison, in Lagos (Igbinovia, 1984; Ebbe, 1982; Iwarimie-Jaja, 1989; Okediji and Okediji, 1968; Rotimi, 1982).

    As of 1983, there were a total of 123

prisons, 2 borstal homes, and 244 county lock-ups in Nigeria. (Borstal homes are categorized as between a minimum and maximum security prison. Most offenders in these homes are young and have not committed very serious offenses). The only women's prison in Nigeria is located at Kirikiri, Lagos. It is a medium security prison and is located adjacent to the only maximum security prison in the country (Alemika, 1983; Igbinovia, 1984).

    In response to the severe economic problems

of Nigeria and the over-crowding in Nigerian prisons, community-based corrections exist for offenders convicted of trivial crimes. These community-based programs include labor camps, open prison incarceration, and community service.

Number of prison beds. In 1983, the Nigerian

prisons had a total capacity for 26,000 inmates, but the actual inmate population was over 41,000. Thus, over-crowding is one of the major problems of the Nigerian prisons (Alemika, 1983; Kayode and Alemika, 1984; Igbinovia, 1984).

Average daily population/number of prisoners.

In 1983, the Nigerian prison inmate population was over 62,153. (In 1977, the Nigerian prison inmate population of convicted offenders was 34,000 (Rotimi, 1982; Ebbe, 1982; Alemika, 1983; and Igbinovia, 1984)). Most of these convicted prisoners are incarcerated in county jails, minimum security prisons, or what used to be called provincial prisons (Rotimi, 1982; Ebbe, 1982; Alemika, 1983; and Igbinovia, 1984; Ebbe, 1982: 221-223). (In July 1980, there were 837 convicted inmates in Kirikiri maximum security prison, 832 convicts in Ikoyi medium security prison, and 510 convicts in Maiduguri medium security prison (Ebbe, 1982: 221-223)).

There are few female prisoners. In 1988, female prisoners in Nigeria numbered 298 (Ebbe, 1985b).

Number of annual admissions. Information not

available.

Actual or estimated proportions of inmates

incarcerated. There are no systematic records kept of Nigerian inmates by type of offense. However a study of 450 prisoners in four Nigerian prisons, including the only maximum security at Kirikiri, conducted in 1980, revealed the following:

      Drug Crimes             1% inmates * 
      Violent Crimes        11% inmates **
      Property Crimes      70% inmates ***
      Other Crimes           18% inmates ****

(Figures are rounded to equal 100%, Ebbe, 1982)

The figure for drug crimes includes only the

selling and possession of marijuana.

- The figure for violent crimes includes

assault, manslaughter, murder, rape, and child stealing.

- - The figure for property crimes includes

stealing, robbery, stealing a domestic animal, motor theft, forgery, the buying and possession of stolen property, fraud, bribery and pickpocketing.

- - - The figure for other crimes includes wandering

(loitering), conspiracy, smuggling, reckless driving, unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon, attempt to commit a felony, adultery, criminal damage of government property, failure to produce a bailed offender on the day of the trial, escape from police custody, willfully living in Nigeria with an expired passport, and military offenses.

2. Administration.

Administration. Nigeria has a centralized

system of prison administration. In effect, every prison in Nigeria is a federal prison. Similar to the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian prisons fall under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a department which is reminiscent of the Home Office in England. At the top of the organizational hierarchy of the Nigerian prisons is the Director of Prisons. He is appointed by the President of Nigeria only with approval of the Public Service Commission. The overall chain of command in the Nigerian Prison Service, from the highest to the lowest, is the following: Director of Prisons, Deputy Director of Prisons, Assistant Director of Prisons, Chief Superintendent of Prisons, Superintendent of Prisons, Assistant Superintendent of Prisons, Cadet Superintendent of Prisons, Chief Warden Grade I, Chief Warden Grade II, Assistant Chief Warden, Sergeant, Corporal, and Warden (Nigerian Prisons Service Annual Report, 1982 and 1989).

    There is a Deputy Director of Prisons for

each of the thirty states. The maximum security prison and every medium security prison are placed under the leadership of a Chief Superintendent of Prisons or a Superintendent of Prisons.

Prison guards. Information not available.

Training and qualifications. Prison wardens

must hold at least a First School Learning Certificate prior to their training. The minimum qualification for entrance into the prison cadet school is a high school diploma. In addition, university graduates have begun to join the Nigerian prisons service.

Expenditure on the prison system. The annual

expenditure of the Nigerian prison service was not available at the time of this writing. However, the salaries of the prison officials are among the lowest in the Nigerian civil service.

3. Prison Conditions.

Remissions. Nigeria has no parole system.

Persons convicted of political crimes and inmates serving a life sentence can be granted a pardon by the Nigerian President. Inmates can also gain time off for good behavior or lose time for bad conduct.

Work/education. Inmates in all prisons are

allowed to work on community programs or projects of the Nigerian Ministry of Works. They can also attend classes to obtain a primary school or high school diploma. Some inmates are allowed to participate in correspondence programs with schools in Nigeria and Great Britain in order to obtain an ordinary or advanced General Certificate of Education. Prisons do not have organized university degree programs.

Amenities/privileges. All prisons have visiting

days. Only minimum security and open prisons have weekend leave programs. Vocational education is considered

Top 10: First World Countries in terms of their Gross National Income The GNI based on purchasing-power-parity (PPP) per capita in int'l Dollars.

Country Region GNI per Capita

1 Luxembourg Western Europe 66 821 2 Norway Northern Europe 41 941 3 United States North America 41 557 4 Ireland Northern Europe 40 003 5 Bermuda (overseas territory of the UK) North America *36 000 6 Iceland Northern Europe 35 686 7 Denmark Northern Europe 34 718 8 San Marino Southern Europe *34 600 9 Canada North America 34 444 10 Switzerland Western Europe 33 168 Sources: IMF -- International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, April 2005 (*) CIA The World Factbook (covers countries not mentioned by the IMF, information may refer to 2004 or earlier.) Slightly different figures you will find at The World Bank Group

Third World Countries in terms of their Gross National Income (GNI) Countries with the least gross national income based on purchasing-power-parity (PPP) per capita in int'l Dollars. Simplified the GNI PPP is the average annual income earned by a citizen of a country. That means for example, a citizen of Malawi can spend $ 1.6 a day to make a living, a citizen of Eritrea $ 2.5, the average US citizen spends $ 114 daily.

Below countries with an average yearly income per capita and year under $ 1000, poorest nations first.

Rank Country Region GNI per capita 1 Timor-Leste South-East Asia *400 2 Malawi Eastern Africa 596 3 Somalia Eastern Africa *600 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo Middle Africa 675 5 Tanzania Eastern Africa 720 6 Yemen Middle East 745 7 Burundi Eastern Africa 753 8 Afghanistan Central Asia *800 9 Guinea-Bissau Western Africa 856 10 Ethiopia Eastern Africa 859 11 Niger Western Africa 896 12 Liberia Western Africa *900 13 Sierra Leone Western Africa 901 14 Madagascar Eastern Africa 911 15 Zambia Eastern Africa 911 16 Eritrea Eastern Africa

ABDULLAHI DAHIRU TATA UNIMAID