‘Address Growing Number of Pre-Trial Inmates’, Zarephath Aid

Stories by Steve Aya

Zarephath Aid, an international criminal justice organisation has called for an audit of all correctional facilities across the country, to identify inmates and assess the status of each case.

The Founder, Ben Abraham, said this during a press conference in Ikeja, Lagos, to commemorate the United Nations International Human Rights Day. He expressed concern over the increasing number of pre-trial inmates in the nation’s correctional centres. He highlighted the plight of individuals who have been awaiting trial for over ten years, due to case files being lost or stalled within the criminal justice system. Ben Abraham stated that such violations of rights, significantly deteriorate the quality of life of affected individuals.

He emphasised the urgent need for action, stating: “We must match our words with immediate action to address this significant issue within our criminal justice system”.

Section 469 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 established the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC), while Section 375 of the Lagos State Administration of Criminal Justice Law provides for the Lagos State Criminal Justice Sector Reform Committee. Other States in the Federation, have their Committees as well. These Committees need to take action and identify the problems present in the criminal justice system, particularly concerning pre-trial inmates.

An audit should be conducted in all correctional facilities, to identify inmates and review their cases. This Committee may need to collaborate with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to achieve its objectives. The Attorney-General (AG) should create special Panels, to expedite the issuance of legal advice from his office. Retired Magistrates or High Court Judges may be employed on an ad-hoc basis for these Panels. The Chief Judge can establish these Panels to address the backlog of cases awaiting trial in Magistrate and High Courts.

The Federal and State Governments have not adequately involved NGOs in these issues, which is highly recommended. During Chief Obasanjo’s administration from 1999 to 2007, the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation collaborated with various organisations to decongest the prisons. This approach can be replicated, by working with NGOs that provide pro bono services.

The group has also intervened in the release of the longest-serving pre-trial inmates at the Medium Correctional Centre in Kirikiri, Moses Abiodun and Kazeem Adeshina, who each spent a total of 16 years in custody since their arrests in 1998 until their recent release.