Foundation for Peace Professionals also known as PeacePro, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has called on the federal government to free all non-convicted prisoners in Nigeria.
The organization also said that, setting free suspects, who have been held in detention without justice, is far more honourable than keeping innocent people perpetually in prison.
In a statement by the Executive Director of PeacePro, Abdulrazak Hamzat, on Friday, the organisation announced its advocacy to end what it described as “destructive incarceration ” in the country.
Hamzat explained that, the advocacy to end “destructive incarceration” in Nigeria is part of its recommendations in the upcoming edition of Nigeria Peace Index (NPI), a national replica of the renown Global Peace Index research.
According to him, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had shown that over 72% of people in prison cells or correctional facilities across Nigeria are unsentenced prisoners, some of whom had spent over 10 years in prison, for a crime that if convicted, they would probably spend less years in jail.
Hamzat stated that while the organisation recognises the numerous efforts of government aimed at correcting the concern.
Mr Hamzat explained that some people might argue that freeing suspected criminals in a country currently battling different kinds of insecurity challenges may be dangerous, but we are of the views that imprisoning innocent people is even far more dangerous because it is a worse form of injustice.
He called on the President Buhari and Attorney General of the federation to look into this proposal and calling on all people of goodwill to support the initiative.
