Over 4,000 offenders are being kept in prisons and jails across the country because they cannot afford to pay their fines, according to Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of interior.
According to him, this problem has persisted since convicts have been unable to pay the fines imposed on them by the numerous justices and magistrates.
Adviser Alao Babatunde released a statement on Saturday quoting the minister as saying this during a meeting with European Union Ambassador to Nigeria Samuela Isopi.
The majority of the 79,000 detainees are defendants.
More than 4,000 offenders are incarcerated because they cannot afford to pay their fines.
Non-custodial alternatives, as allowed under the Correctional Service Act, “may allow us to reduce the number of inmates in our correctional facilities by as much as 40 percent,” he said.
He requested that the European Union help Nigeria by providing technology to act as a buffer and improve the country’s border management infrastructure.
He argued that “Africa will benefit if we are successful in addressing the issues of crime and migration in Nigeria.”
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