Inside Nigeria's correctional centres, an underground economy thrives, LEADERSHIP Sunday can report. Inmates grow vegetables, trade food items, and run informal businesses, turning prison yards into unlikely marketplaces.
Inmates are becoming entrepreneurs, scholars, and skilled workers, proving that even within confinement, progress is possible
Some inmates, according to correctional reports, leave custody not just reformed but financially empowered, building businesses with the skills and capital they developed behind bars.
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Our correspondents exclusively gathered that for many inmates in Nigeria's correctional centres, prison is no longer just a place of punishment; it is gradually becoming a place of transformation, with records showing that some inmates are breaking new grounds and making millions of naira through productive ventures.
LEADERSHIP Sunday further gathered exclusively from a top source at the NCoS headquarters, who pleaded not to be named, that many outstanding inmates have taken to agriculture and invested their earnings in education and transportation businesses while still in the custodial centres established by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).
The top source also disclosed that the inmates have become their families' breadwinners, with one of them supporting three of his children through university.
Although the source did not disclose the identities of the record-breaking inmates, LEADERSHIP Sunday learnt that one of them is at the Kaduna State Custodial Camp, while others were kept at similar facilities in Enugu State and Abuja until recently.
It was gathered that the inmate in Kaduna made well over N4.5 million from the sale of vegetables from his garden in the NCoS facility, while his colleagues in Enugu and at the Dukpa Farm Centre in Gwagwalada, Abuja, used the proceeds from their farm produce and furniture sales to build houses, run confectioneries, and purchase buses for commercial use.
Fielding questions from LEADERSHIP Sunday, the national public relations officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Chief Superintendent of Corrections Jane N. Osuji, said that behind the high walls and locked gates, thousands of inmates are rewriting their stories, trading despair for purpose and confinement for opportunity, as they acquire skills, education, and, for some, a second chance at life.
Osuji explained that the transformation is now being actively driven by the federal government, which has intensified efforts to reposition correctional centres as hubs of rehabilitation through agriculture and structured partnerships with the private sector.
Confirming the claims that some hardworking inmates left their various facilities to acquire houses, buy buses for the transportation business, as well as household properties through the sale of their farm produce, the service spokesperson told our correspondents that inmates from the South East, North Central, and other regions who left the various facilities were doing well for themselves.
The NCoS spokesman disclosed that the Service has a good number of reformation farm centres spread across the country, equipped with tractors, where "we produce large quantities of palm oil, rice, maize, and other grains to help minimise moral gaps among convicts."
Osuji, however, explained that awaiting-trial inmates, whose numbers are high in correctional facilities, are not usually deployed to the farms and other empowerment centres, as the NCoS' mandate revolves solely around ensuring behavioural reorientation and retooling of convicts.
Speaking on inmates' feeding and welfare, which remain pressing concerns, Osuji said the government provides for inmates' basic needs, including a feeding allowance, healthcare, clothing, and bedding.
However, LEADERSHIP Sunday's findings show that meals are often basic and largely carbohydrate-based, with limited nutritional variety.
As a result, many inmates depend on food supplied by relatives, while others take on informal jobs within custodial centres, such as washing clothes, assisting in kitchens, or supporting fellow inmates in exchange for small incentives that help them survive. However, within this harsh environment, stories of resilience continue to emerge.
The Service's image maker categorically acknowledged that, across correctional centres, inmates are embracing opportunities for growth, learning trades such as carpentry, tailoring, welding, and agriculture, while others pursue education ranging from basic literacy to advanced academic studies.
She said, "Some have gone on to earn certificates, degrees, and even PhDs while in custody, turning years of confinement into periods of personal transformation."
According to her, "Custodial camps are borderless environments where inmates who committed crimes, excluding sexual offences, are taken after they have served one quarter of their sentences in the various locations of their primary detention."
They are transferred to such locations to be granted monitored freedom at the recommendation of the officers in charge of their primary facilities. Monitored freedom means they are not entirely free, but they can move about to a large extent without wardens constantly by their side.
Meanwhile, at a recent national dialogue convened by the Nigerian Correctional Service in collaboration with Hope Behind Bars Africa and supported by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme, stakeholders called for stronger Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to scale inmate-focused reforms.
The engagement, with the theme "Optimising Correctional Farm Centres and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Pathways for Inmates' Reformation," brought together government officials, private sector players, development partners, and civil society actors to chart sustainable pathways for inmate rehabilitation.
The controller-general of Corrections, Mr. Sylvester Nwakuche, said correctional farm centres are central to this vision.
"Our correctional farm centres are not just about agriculture; they are about restoring hope, dignity, and creating pathways to a productive future for inmates," he said.
He disclosed that the NCoS currently operates multiple agricultural projects nationwide, alongside piggery and fisheries ventures, producing staple foods such as rice, sorghum, millet, and vegetables while equipping inmates with hands-on, income-generating skills.
According to him, these initiatives are designed not only to support feeding within custodial centres but also to prepare inmates for life after incarceration.
Beyond agriculture, the NCoS boss said a broader shift is underway, one that places emphasis on correction, rehabilitation, and reintegration rather than punishment alone.
He said, "Inside custodial centres, structured orientation programmes now help inmates cope with the shock of incarceration, separation from family, loss of routine, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead."
He said correctional officers, once seen only as enforcers, are increasingly taking on roles as mentors, offering guidance and support that help inmates adjust and rebuild their sense of purpose.
LEADERSHIP Sunday writes that even as these reforms expand, the reality of life behind bars remains difficult. With an inmate population exceeding 78,000, more than 50,000 of whom are awaiting trial, Nigeria's correctional system continues to grapple with delays in justice delivery, leaving many in prolonged detention without conviction.
To address this, ongoing reforms include the deployment of virtual court proceedings, provision of legal aid services, non-custodial measures such as parole and community service, and improved collaboration across justice sector institutions.
58 Inmates graduate from university
A total of 58 prisoners recently graduated from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) last year.
Before then, 25 prison inmates had graduated from the institution in 2022
Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Olufemi Peters, had said at the time: "We have 21,339 undergraduate- and 7,101 postgraduate students graduating. Among this number are 58 prison inmates, out of which seven are postgraduate graduates. We have 14 centres in our prisons and we have been mandated to expand it."
Four years ago, seven inmates of the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre, Rivers State, received certificates after graduating from the National Open University of Nigeria. Two of them graduated with second-class upper degrees, while the remaining five had second-class lower degrees.
The inmates were among those who graduated in the 2021/2022 academic session in March 2022 but could not join their colleagues at convocation due to their incarceration, according to our investigation.
Inmates Study For Degrees Free Of Charge
The registrar of the school, Felix Edoka, who handed out certificates to the inmates at the correctional centre along Dockyard Road in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, said the university programmes are free for inmates.
He said, "Today, we are handing over certificates to seven inmates who have graduated from the National Open University of Nigeria.
"Among this number, we have two inmates who made Second Class Upper. The remaining five made Second Class Lower. We want to use this opportunity to appeal to those in incarceration that are yet to fill out our forms to do so. The purpose of getting the university to the correctional centre is to ensure that we provide opportunities for those who want to develop themselves. So that by the time you get out of this place, hopefully, there will be no difference between you and those outside. To make this possible, the university is granting this education to you people (inmates) free of charge."
Also, at the school's 14th convocation, 51 inmates in 14 correctional centres graduated.
Speaking at the pre-convocation press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Olufemi Peters, the vice-chancellor of NOUN, said the inmates include 41 undergraduates and 10 postgraduates, adding that the university has been responsible for their education.
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Giving a further breakdown of the figure, the VC said there are 10,967 undergraduates and 16 first-class students among those who will graduate during the convocation on 11 April.
Among those who graduated are 40 for PhD, 4,310 with master's degrees, and 2,103 with postgraduate diplomas (PGD).
The VC further disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Interior was seeking to establish study centres in more correctional facilities across the country to provide access to inmates interested in academic pursuits.
"Because of this social value that we have created, the Ministry of Interior is requesting that we extend this service to as many correctional centres as possible. While we agree with this request, we are being very cautious of the logistics of delivering lectures to those inmates," he said.
"Let's not forget that all our inmates in the correctional centres are being sponsored by the university, and the only proof of acceptance is the purchase of admission forms themselves. That's when we will consider them serious, and then we will offer them a scholarship.
"The message we want to give our students is that as a university, we believe that we have equipped them with skills and knowledge and values that are necessary to make a positive impact in their lives, just like those in the correctional centres.
"And therefore, ours is to encourage them to cultivate integrity, cultivate empathy, and be very resilient. In life, just be resilient and navigate the waters. These are our charges to our students."
Enugu: Survival Breeds Skill, Strength
Meanwhile, during a visit to the Enugu State custodial facilities, our correspondent observed that survival often begins with work, as inmates engage in tasks that provide small but vital rewards.
The public relations officer of the Enugu Command, Ugwu Chizoba, said welfare remains a priority, adding that many inmates are enrolled in vocational training programmes, acquiring skills in carpentry, tailoring, agriculture, welding, and soap-making.
"Education is also reshaping their lives. Several inmates are preparing for national examinations, while others have obtained higher qualifications, including university degrees and PhDs."
Chizoba, however, pointed to logistical constraints affecting the timeliness of trials: "We have lawyers, but vehicles to convey inmates to court are limited."
