The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) in Rivers State has raised an alarm over the worsening congestion at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, revealing that the facility is currently overwhelmed beyond its designed capacity.
Felix Madumere, the Rivers State Controller of Corrections, stated that the centre—originally intended to accommodate 1,800 inmates—is now housing over 2,500 individuals. He described the situation as critical and warned that the NCS may soon be compelled to stop admitting new inmates if no urgent action is taken.
Madumere cautioned, “If immediate steps are not taken by the authorities, we might have no option but to suspend the admission of inmates temporarily to avert a collapse of the system.”
This alert was issued during the flag-off of the state’s jail delivery programme by the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi. As part of the initiative, 21 inmates were freed from the Port Harcourt facility, including Gospel Nwibari, who was arrested in 2007 at just 14 years old and spent 18 years in detention without trial.
Justice Amadi expressed deep concern that several inmates had no formal case files or identifiable charges. He emphasized that holding them without trial serves no meaningful purpose and contravenes the principle of justice.
He encouraged those released to make the most of their second chance and stay away from criminal activities.
The jail delivery programme is designed to ease congestion in correctional centres and address long-standing delays in the justice system.
The judiciary reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the rights of inmates and ensuring systemic reform within the criminal justice framework.
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