Ikoyi Prison

In Ikoyi Prison, the largest and most congested prison in Lagos almost all of the inmates are awaiting trial. Up to 90% of inmates have not seen a court or a lawyer and may stay many months and sometimes up to years in pre-trial detention. Making detention here even worse compared to the situation on a national level and in other prisons in Lagos.

There is a high level of stalled and remanded cases, because of long running investigations, incomplete or missing files, miscommunications between government agencies and poor legal assistance on the part of lawyers. NGO’s and churches do important work in Ikoyi and in the Nigerian prison and justice system more generally, but the situation remains highly problematic.