Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has revealed that 72 female inmates are awaiting the hangman’s noose at the various custodial centres across the country after being found guilty of capital offences.

The Service’s spokesman, Abubakar Umar, told newsmen during a media parley yesterday  that out of the 3,413 inmates on death row at the various custodial facilities nationwide, 3,341 were male while the remainder were female.

INTEGRITY NEWS, however, reports that the death row population remains very low for women in comparison to men.

A top source at the NCoS headquarters told our correspondent that, approximately, over 30 of the female IDRs (inmates on death row) had exhausted all appeals, adding that 60 per cent of the female prisoners on death row appear to face more challenging conditions, such as solitary confinement and a lack of privacy.

According to the source, who pleaded not to be named, “These women live in a single cell under near-constant surveillance by a team of mixed stern guards.

“It’s sad that even the married ones are deprived of all their belongings, including books, wedding rings, pictures of their spouses, kids and other family members.

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