Minister: Over 4,000 Nigerians in prison over inability to pay N50,000

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed that over 4,000 inmates were being held in custodial centres across Nigeria over their inability to pay fines as low as N50,000.

Tunji-Ojo revealed this while speaking at the Access Bank Guest Lecture Series (GLS) held at the bank’s headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos State, on Friday, May 23, 2025.

The minister, who spoke about the broken state of Nigeria’s correctional system, said: “This is not a legal crisis, it is a moral one.

“A society that punishes poverty more harshly than crime has lost its moral compass.”

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Tunji-Ojo explained that the Ministry of Interior has since partnered with private donors to secure the release of many of these non-violent offenders and is now pursuing structural reforms that prioritise rehabilitation over punishment.

According to him, these include digital case tracking to prevent indefinite detention, vocational training programmes within correctional centres, and public-private partnerships aimed at improving living conditions and operational efficiency.

“A correctional facility must correct, not condemn. Justice without dignity is injustice in disguise,” the minister was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Access Bank on Monday, May 26.

The Star