February 2006 Cover
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The Nigerian Cabinet has approved a plan to free HIV-positive inmates and others with terminal diseases in a bid to cut the country's prison population by half. Prisoners who have spent
as much time in custody as their conviction would require and those whose prosecution has been delayed because of the loss of their case files will also be released, said Justice Minister
Bayo Ojo.
Currently, 40,444 inmates are detained in 227 prisons across Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa. "By the time the process is completed, we hope to have reduced the
number of inmates" to 15,000-20,000, said Ojo. Human rights groups have decried conditions in Nigeria's packed prisons, where defendants accused of common crimes may spend 10 years or
more awaiting trial.
The United States has announced no similar plans to deal with its expanding prison population, currently at over 3 million.
Editor's Note: from Associated Press
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