The Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) has scaled up its partnership with top Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to strengthen the implementation of non-custodial sentencing and advance criminal justice reform in Nigeria in its efforts to address the challenge of prison congestion.
The total number of prison inmates in Nigeria as of late 2025 is approximately 81,349.
Nigeria’s correctional facilities are overcrowded, housing far beyond their intended capacity of just over 50,000 inmates.
About 66% of these inmates are awaiting trial, and the prison population includes both convicted and pre-trial detainees.
In its determination to confront the challenge, ACJMC, in partnership with LGCF and PAR-RVP Initiative, launched a three-day intensive capacity-building programme for key justice sector stakeholders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The training, which kicked off on Tuesday in Abuja, brought together over 150 participants, including Non-Custodial Officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Court Registrars, Magistrates, Liaison and Desk Officers from the five Correctional Divisions of the FCT, including Maitama, Garki, Nyanya, Bwari and Gwagwalada.
Declaring the programme open, the Chief Judge of the FCT, Hon. Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, represented by the Chairman of the Steering Committee on Non-Custodial Measures, Hon. Justice Celestine Odo, commended the ACJMC and its partners for their commitment to promoting restorative justice and fostering effective inter-agency collaboration.
The technical sessions covered diverse topics, including the Legal Framework and Guiding Principles for Non-Custodial Sentences, the Guidelines and Monitoring Framework for Implementation and the Application of Non-Custodial Measures by the Courts.
Delivering a presentation on the Role of the Nigerian Correctional Service in the Implementation of Non-Custodial Sentences, Assistant Controller General (ACG) of Correction, Nwakaeze Emmanuel Anekwe (rtd) stressed on steps that should be adopted by the Correctional Service within the legal framework to ensure effective implementation of non-custodial sentencing in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of PAR-RVP Initiative, Mrs Ogechi Ogu, Esq, delivered a presentation on the Role of Court Liaison and Desk Officers in Ensuring Effective Implementation, while the Director of Litigation, FCT High Court, Folashade Oyekan, led a session on ‘Ethics, Human Rights, and Safeguards in Non-Custodial Measures’.
In attendance were ACG Nandang Ponyak, representing the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Mrs Igbinedion Evbu, Esq, the Executive Secretary of the ACJMC.
Other dignitaries included Mrs Kanayo Olisa-Metuh, Executive Director of LGCF and a prominent advocate of non-custodial justice in Nigeria, who has been instrumental in driving nationwide initiatives aimed at decongesting correctional centres and equipping officers with the tools to support offender rehabilitation and reintegration.
Participants described the training as timely, highly engaging and impactful, emphasising that the training will further equip officers to effectively implement non-custodial sentences, strengthen rehabilitation frameworks, and enhance justice delivery in the FCT.