Lagos Chief Judge Frees 33 Prison Inmates

Wale Igbintade

Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba, yesterday freed 33 inmates from the five Custodial Centres of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) in the State.

Some of the inmates claimed not to have been going to court for over six years.

Eight of the inmates were released from Ikoyi custodial centre, while 11 and 14 were released from the Maximum and Medium Custodial centres respectively.

The inmates were pardoned at an open court session presided over by the Chief Judge at the premises of Justice Samuel Ilori Court House, Ogba.

Justice Alogba noted that the exercise was in line with the efforts by the federal government to decongest the prisons as stipulated in Section 6 of the1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, and Chapter 40 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2005.

He said it was also pursuant to powers conferred on him to grant the inmates pardon pursuant to Section 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provision Act.

Justice Alogba lamented that the prevalence of crimes in society has been so horrendous for anybody to consider releasing anybody who has not been processed under the law.

He explained that the criteria used to determine those released were not based on sentiments but “were meticulously followed and scrutinized by the Justice Adenike Coker-led decongestion committee.

Members of the committee also include Justices Omobola Okikiolu-Ighile, Yetunde Adesanya, Hakeem Oshodi, Busola Okunuga, Josephine Oyefeso among others.

He said those freed were found fit and suitable to be released back into the society.

Releasing the inmates, Justice Alogba urged them to go and sin no more and be of good behaviour, adding that harder punishment would be meted out on any of the inmates caught committing a crime again.

He admonished them to retrace their steps and ensure they are not involved in crimes again.

Justice Alogba commended the efforts of the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), which he noted have been doing their best to reform the inmates to make it easier for them to be integrated back into society.

Earlier, in a welcome address, the State-Controlled of NCS, Francis Adebisi remarked that the population in the custodial centres have become a great challenge due to congestion.

Adebisi said Ikoyi Centre was built to accommodate 800 but has 2,665 inmates, while Kirikiri Maximum Centre has over 2,000 as against 1,056 capacity.

He said the Medium Centre has 3,117 as against 1,948 inmates.

He stated further that there are 352 Special categories of inmates while 150 are serving life jail terms.

He said the decision to release the deserving inmates would go a long way to improve the situation at the custodial centres across the state.