Lagos CJ Frees 20 Prison Inmates, Promises to Review Sentencing Guidelines for Convicts
Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Opeyemi Oke, last week granted amnesty to 20 inmates, both from Kirikiri Medium Prison and Ikoyi Prison.
The Chief Judge freed one Lucky Nelson, who is suffering from Tuberculosis from Kirikiri prisons, while a total number of 19 inmates were released from Ikoyi Prison, during her first visit since she assumed office as the Chief Judge in October last year.
The 20 freed inmates had been in custody, awaiting trial for between the period of ten months and five years.
Though Justice Oke had more inmates on the Amnesty list from Kirikiri Medium Prison, she declined to release them because they failed to meet the amnesty criteria.
So only Nelson, who has been in prison custody since 2012 over allegation of obtaining money, about N25,000, by false pretences was released on health grounds, because apart from suffering from Tuberculosis, he has also been diagnosed as suffering from Diabetes.
“14 cases were presented to me for consideration, but after interviewing them, I found that none of them merited to be pardoned.
"It is very unfortunate, but we must follow due process in releasing any inmate from the prison. Remember that members of the society must also be protected, so we don't just free any inmate without following due process”, she said.
Justice Oke, who was accompanied by senior members of the Judiciary, including Judges, Magistrates, the Chief Registrar, officials of the Lagos Ministry of Justice, and members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), also visited the Kirikiri Female prisons, where she attended to about ten nursing mother inmates, who also failed to meet the criteria for release during the visit.
Speaking during the visits to the prisons last week Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, the Chief Judge said the amnesty granted the inmates was in fulfillment of her determination to decongest prisons in the State, which she noted were populated by awaiting-trial inmates.
According to her, the gesture was in exercise of the power conferred on her by the Criminal Justice (Release from Custody) (Special Provisions) Act, Cap C40 2004 Laws of the Federation, adding that it would give the freed inmates another opportunity to get their lives back on track.
Admonishing the freed inmates to go and sin no more, Justice Oke said that the only way to reciprocate the gesture, is for them to henceforth live a good life and be of good conduct.
Amongst the 19 inmates released from Ikoyi Prison is one Damilola Joseph, a final year Computer Science student of University of Lagos, who was charged for stealing but has been in prison custody since 2016 following his inability to perfect his N250,000 bail conditions.
Justice Oke also commended the Controller General of Nigerian Prison Service, Jaafaru Ahmed and the Deputy Comptroller of Prisons in charge of Ikoyi Prisons, Tolu Ogunsakin and his Kirikiri Medium Prisons counterpart, DCP Oluwaniyi Emmanuel, for maintaining a clean prison environment.
Reacting to the complaint by some inmates of the Ikoyi prison who have been unable to pay the option of fine imposed on them, Justice Oke noted that the State Judiciary is aware of the challenges faced by such inmates and is working towards addressing them.
She disclosed that, plans are ongoing by the State Judiciary, to review the sentencing guidelines of suspects convicted in minor offences.
"We have heard your complaints, and you can rest assured, that we are working towards addressing them. By next week, we are having a meeting with Magistrates to address some of these issues, including bail conditions.
"Thereafter, I will be signing a new policy regarding fines and sentencing guidelines on cases before our courts”, she said.
Earlier in his welcome address, Ogunsakin, who is said to have just assumed office as the DCP in charge of the Ikoyi Prison five days ago, expressed appreciation to the Chief Judge for her commitment to the release of deserving inmates.
Ogunsakin however, appealed to the Chief Judge to assist the prison authorities in its decongestion efforts, by accelerating trial and adopting community service for minor offences.
"Your Lordship, I am appealing to you on passionate grounds to help us in the area of acceleration of trial, and dispensation of justice, especially where minor offences can be given community service as punishment for such offenders.
"I also appeal for the introduction of parole as it is being done in some countries, and the issue of amnesty by the State Governor, in order to reduce the overcrowding in our prisons”, he pleaded.
According DCP Ogunsakin, Ikoyi Prison with a normal lockup capacity of 800 inmates, presently has 2,752 inmates, out of which 2,261 of the inmates are awaiting trial while 491 have been convicted.