By SCM REPORTER
LAGOS Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has sensationally ordered the release of 43 inmates as part of a radical “mercy” mission to fix the city’s crumbling, overcrowded prison system.
The move, announced today, comes just months after a massive New Year clear-out saw 91 prisoners walked out of the gates in December 2025.
The Governor used his constitutional “Prerogative of Mercy” to hand the lucky 43 their freedom. Officials say the inmates were hand-picked by a legal advisory council after proving they were fit for release.
But this isn’t just about letting people out—it’s a desperate attempt to stop the city’s jails from reaching a breaking point.
Lagos State Attorney-General Lawal Pedro, SAN, confirmed the state is declared war on “prison hell” conditions, aiming to:
Smash Overcrowding: Reducing the headcount in packed custodial centres.
Speed Up Justice: Ending the “logistics nightmare” that keeps inmates waiting years for trial.
Fix the Squalor: Renovating decaying buildings to bring facilities into the 21st century.
In a bold power play, Lagos bosses are now demanding the Federal Government hand over total control of at least one major prison.
Under new constitutional rules, the state believes it can run the jails better than the feds, citing “weak oversight” and “inadequate funding” in the current national system.
”It is time to address the lack of transparency and overcrowding in Nigerian facilities,” a spokesperson said.
To prove they mean business, the state has already bought a fleet of brand-new coaster buses to ferry inmates to and from court.
The move is designed to stop “trial rot,” where cases are delayed for months simply because there isn’t a van available to get a defendant to the dock.
While the Governor insists he is balancing “victims’ rights” with “public safety,” the message from Lagos is clear: the old, broken prison system is being torn up and rewritten.