Muslims more in Nigerian prisons, NBS reports over 68,686 inmates
By Newsdesk

A statistics released by Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that there were more Muslims in Nigerian prisons, with over 71,402 been incarcerated within two years, compared to 59,940 Christians and 11,506 traditionalists, atheists and others recorded same period.

The NBS disclosed that no fewer than 68,686 inmates were currently occupying prisons across the country, with Lagos, Kano and Rivers states topping the table.

According to the agency’s report, Lagos prison capacity is 3,927 but currently accommodates 7,396 inmates, indicating that it is almost 100 per cent overcrowded, a trend that President Muhammadu Buhari has described as a national scandal.

From the data released by NBS on Thursday, Lagos is closely followed by Rivers and Kano states with 4,424 and 4,183 prison inmates population.

The statistics was contained in NBS Prison Statistics catalogued Prison Population by Total Detainees, Prison Capacity and Number of Un-sentenced Detainees by State and Year and Prison Inmate Population by Gender from 2011 to 2016. The study showed a rise in prison population from 65,030 in 2015 to 68,686 last year.