Stones in beans, water in stew: Inside Nigeria’s prison feeding crisis affecting 80,000 inmates

Former inmates of Nigeria’s correctional centres have described a deeply strained prison feeding system marked by poorly cooked food, chronic overcrowding and alleged diversion of food supplies — with some describing meals so inadequate they were forced to find alternative food sources to survive, Vanguard reports.

“If you don’t find alternatives, you can’t survive,” said Mike Okoroafor, a former Kirikiri inmate.

With Nigeria’s prison population exceeding 80,000 — 65 per cent awaiting trial — facilities designed for far fewer inmates now struggle to provide adequate nutrition. The Federal Government increased the daily feeding allowance to N1,500 per inmate approximately two years ago, but former inmates say conditions remain deeply inadequate.