Correctional reforms yielding results, Tunji-Ojo says as repeat offences decline
The Federal Government has said the number of repeat offenders within Nigeria’s correctional system has fallen dramatically over the past two years, attributing the decline to reforms aimed at rehabilitation and reintegration.
Speaking on Wednesday at the presentation of an investigative report on the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the number of inmates returning to custody after previous convictions had dropped from 11,616 in 2023 to 1,382 in 2025.
According to the minister, the figure fell to 3,156 in 2024 before declining further in 2025, a trend he described as evidence that ongoing reformation programmes were beginning to achieve tangible results.
“Recidivism was 11,616 when we came in in 2023. In 2024 it dropped to 3,156, but in 2025 it came down to 1,382 recidivists. It means that our reformation programmes are bearing fruits,” Tunji-Ojo said.
Despite the progress, he maintained that the government would not consider its efforts successful until repeat offending is completely eliminated.
“For us, not until recidivism gets to zero, we cannot say we have succeeded,” he added.
The minister also revealed that 15,632 inmates were admitted into correctional facilities across the country in May 2026, while 14,190 were released during the same period under various legal conditions and terms of imprisonment.
Tunji-Ojo pledged that recommendations contained in the investigative report would be implemented without delay, insisting that the findings would not be left unattended.
“This report will not gather dust on the shelves. We are going to be very aggressive in terms of implementation,” he said, announcing plans to establish a monitoring and evaluation committee to oversee compliance.
He further called for greater collaboration with state governments on the relocation of correctional facilities, noting that many prisons originally built on the outskirts of towns had since become surrounded by expanding urban settlements and were no longer suitable for modern correctional needs.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Dr Magdalene Ajani, said the investigative panel visited 86 custodial centres in 23 states as part of its nationwide assessment of correctional facilities and operations.