Inmates Languish In Kirikiri Correctional Centre Over Minor Offences As Families Search For Missing Relatives

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

Dozens of men and women are currently in custody at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, Lagos, over minor offences, with many of their families unaware of their whereabouts.

The situation has renewed calls for prison decongestion and faster justice for petty offenders arrested during Task Force operations across Lagos.

Task Force Arrest, Court, Then Silence

According to inmates and lawyers who spoke to http://pmexpressng.com, the pattern is the same.

Task Force officials arrest young men and women during raids in markets, bus stops, and street corners in areas like Oshodi, Ikeja, and Yaba. They are immediately taken to court, charged with offences such as “public nuisance,” “loitering,” “hawking in restricted areas,” or “failure to produce means of identification.”

Most are fined between ₦10,000 and ₦50,000 or sentenced to 3 to 6 months imprisonment with an option of fine. But because they cannot pay, they are sent to Kirikiri.

Barr. Kehinde Adebayo of the Prisoners’ Rights Advocacy Initiative, PRAI, told http://pmexpressng.com: “Some of these boys were arrested for selling pure water. By the time they get to court, there is no lawyer. The magistrate gives them 3 months or ₦20,000 fine. They can’t pay, so Kirikiri becomes their home.”

Families In The Dark

The major concern, according to PRAI, is that many relations do not know where their loved ones are.

Mama Risikat, whose 22-year-old son, Tunde, was arrested in Oshodi in June 2026, said: “Task Force picked him. We went to Oshodi Police Station, then Area F, then everywhere. After 2 months, someone told us he is in Kirikiri. We have not seen him.”

PRAI estimates that over 200 inmates in Kirikiri Medium and Maximum are currently serving time for minor offences, with more than 60% having no family visit in the last 3 months.

Inside Kirikiri: Overcrowding And Challenges

A source inside the correctional centre said the minor offenders are mixed with inmates awaiting trial for serious crimes.

“There is no separation. A boy arrested for hawking sleeps beside someone awaiting trial for armed robbery. Food is a problem. Many rely on NGOs,” the source said.

Dr. Funmi Akinola, a prison reform expert, said: “This is not correction. This is punishment for being poor. We are keeping people in custody that should be given community service.”

Legal Experts And Police React

Legal experts say Section 5 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, ACJL, Lagos 2021 provides for non-custodial sentencing for minor offences. But magistrates rarely apply it.

SP Abimbola Adebisi, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, told http://pmexpressng.com that taskforce arrests are part of efforts to sanitize the state. “But we encourage that due process be followed and suspects are charged to court promptly,” she said.

The Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, Lagos Command said it is working with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice and NGOs to identify inmates eligible for release through fines payment and probation.

Calls For Immediate Action

CSOs are now calling on the Lagos State Government to set up a taskforce to review all cases of minor offenders and release those who have stayed beyond the fine amount.

“Keeping a man in Kirikiri for 6 months over ₦15,000 fine costs the state more than the fine itself. And his family suffers,” Barr. Adebayo said.

For families like Mama Risikat, the wait continues. “I just want to see my son. I don’t even know if he is sick or alive,” she said.

Stakeholders say until the system changes, cases of minor offenders will continue to contribute to congestion in Kirikiri Correctional Centre.