Nigeria Prisons Service has blamed state governors for the high number of condemned inmates in prisons across the country.

It said that the governors were unwilling to sign the death warrants for the execution of the 1,640 men on death row in various prison formations across the country.

Its Public Relations Officer, Francis Enobore appealed to the state governors to either sign the warrant for the execution of the condemned convicts or commute their death sentences to life imprisonment.

He said the problem of condemned prisoners is still a very big challenge to NPS and we have been appealing to the relevant authorities expecially to the state Chief Executives (governors).

He cautioned against stigmatization of former prison inmates, describing this as an indirect way of pushing the person back to a life of crime.