FILE PHOTO: Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari addresses the nation over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Abuja, Nigeria April 13, 2020. Nigeria Presidency/Handout via REUTERS
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the chief judge to free prison inmates who have been awaiting trial for six years or more to ease overcrowding as the novel coronavirus spreads, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
A statement quoted Buhari as saying 42% of Nigeria's 74,000 or so prisoners were awaiting trial. He urged Chief Judge Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad to reduce that number "since physical distancing and self-isolation in such conditions are practically impossible".
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