The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released a statistical report highlighting a 4.82% increase in the percentage of female inmates admitted into Nigerian Correctional Centres in 2022. The report, titled “Women and Men in Nigeria 2022,” revealed fluctuating trends in female admissions over the past three years, with percentages standing at 4.90% in 2020, dropping to 4.48% in 2021, and rising to 4.82% in 2022. Conversely, male inmates accounted for 95.10%, 95.52%, and 95.18% of admissions in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively.
The report highlighted stealing as the most prevalent offence among both men and women, with notable fluctuations in the number of convictions for this crime over the years. While male convictions for stealing decreased from 40,555 in 2020 to 31,921 in 2021 before rising to 44,477 in 2022, female convictions decreased from 1,981 in 2020 to 1,320 in 2021 and further to 1,272 in 2022. Additionally, there was a decline in the crime of bank fraud, with fluctuations observed in the number of persons arrested and convicted between 2020 and 2022.
Furthermore, the report revealed insights into drug-related offences, indicating that male suspects constituted 90% of all suspects arrested for such crimes, while female suspects ranged from 7.35% to 7.62% between 2020 and 2022. Regarding human trafficking, the percentage of females trafficked for forced labour experienced variations over the years, with percentages recorded at 64.87% in 2020, 59.93% in 2021, and 59.14% in 2022.
Moreover, the report highlighted concerning statistics related to physical violence and female circumcision. It indicated an increase in the percentage of women aged 15 to 49 who experienced physical violence since age 15, rising from 27.80% in 2013 to 31% in 2018. Additionally, 8.20% of females aged 0 to 14 had been circumcised in Nigeria in 2021. The report also provided data on the age range of females trafficked, with percentages ranging from 87.86% to 91.08% for ages 26 to 35 between 2020 and 2022.
Finally, the report highlighted the gender disparity among victims trafficked for prostitution, with 100% being females in 2019, decreasing to 97.82%, 99.72%, and 99.55% in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively.
