The Centre for Legal Support and Inmate Rehabilitation (CELSIR) is concerned by the recent arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment of street-connected persons and individuals engaged in informal street-based survival activities in Lagos State.

The sentencing of 26 street-connected persons to custodial terms, alongside the reported arrest of over 100 others involved in street-based economic survival, reflects an enforcement approach that treats poverty and social vulnerability as criminal conduct. We believe this risks deepening Nigeria’s correctional crisis without delivering meaningful public safety outcomes.

Nigeria’s correctional system is already severely overstretched. Introducing additional low-risk, indigent individuals into custody will inevitably worsen congestion and divert scarce resources from rehabilitation and reintegration.

From our experience working within correctional centres, we know that incarceration in such cases functions primarily as a mechanism for containing unresolved social and economic challenges—challenges that the criminal justice system is not designed to resolve.

We emphasise that street-connected living, informal survival economies, and public-space livelihoods are not inherently criminal behaviours. They are manifestations of structural inequality, unemployment, homelessness, and gaps in social protection and mental health services. Criminalising these conditions entrenches marginalisation and increases the likelihood of repeated system contact.

Nigeria’s legal framework already provides lawful and effective alternatives to imprisonment for minor offences, including non-custodial sentencing, diversion, and restorative justice measures. These options remain underutilised.

We recognise the legitimacy of urban management and public order objectives. However, we believe these goals must be pursued through proportionate, rights-respecting, and sustainable responses that address root causes rather than expanding the net of incarceration.

We urge the relevant authorities to prioritise non-custodial, restorative, and social-welfare-oriented interventions in line with Nigeria’s laws and international justice and human rights standards.