The federal government has announced a dramatic decline in the number of former inmates returning to correctional centres after release, describing it as one of the clearest indicators that ongoing reforms in the Nigerian Correctional Service(NCS) are producing results.
Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed on Wednesday in Abuja that the number of inmates who reoffended and returned to custody dropped from 11,616 in 2023 to 3,156 in 2024, before falling further to 1,382 in 2025.
The figures , according to Tunji-Ojo, represent an 88 per cent reduction in recidivism within two years.
Speaking during the official presentation of the Investigative Panel’s Main Report on “Allegations of Corruption, Abuse of Power, Cruel and Inhumane Treatment within the Nigerian Correctional Service, the minister described the development as the most encouraging outcome of the government’s correctional reforms.
