CRIME Octogenarian, 3 teens, others discharged from Kuje prisons

An 82-year-old man, Nicholas Ike, convicted for breach of trust has been discharged from Kuje prisons alongside seven other inmates by the Chief Judge of FCT High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello.

Presenting his case during the CJ’s visit to the prisons, the octogenarian said the case against him and his brother, Herbert Uche Ike, had been on for 12 years before they were convicted. He said of the 12 years, he had spent five years in prison while awaiting trial.

“By reason of the age of the convict and the fact that he has spent five years before conviction and the proceeds of the crime have been returned to the victim(s), the convict is hereby released.

“I cannot, however, make same proclamation for the co-accused person but a case will be made for him to the prerogative of mercy committee headed by the Attorney General of the Federation,” the CJ said.

Also released by the CJ were three under-aged inmates, Abubakar Ismail (13), Suleiman Dauda (16) and Ali Musa (17) who said they were picked up by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and charged with public disturbance.

In releasing them, the CJ said according to the penal code, they ought not to be in prison as they were not yet of the age that can stand trial.

Another aged inmate, Emeka Ebila, also got his freedom after intervention from the prison authorities and other judges in the CJ’s entourage.

The CJ said he felt uncomfortable in releasing Ebila both on moral ground and public perception because he (CJ) was the one that convicted and sentenced Ebila to five years imprisonment before he became the CJ.

However, with his jail term ending in February, 2018 and having satisfied the condition of clemency on age ground, the CJ ordered that he be discharged.

The three other inmates that also got their freedom, Wasiu Azeez, Gabriel Jubril and Ibrahim Haruna, also said they were randomly picked up by men of SARS and have spent over three years in prison awaiting trial.

Azeez (a student) said he was picked up on his way to charge his phone battery while Jubril and Haruna (a taxi driver) said they were separately arrested on their way back from work.

With all the police prosecutors saying they do not know anything about the case, the CJ said, “It is quite inhumane to continue to keep them for four years without trial and we will not continue to encourage this.”

At least 10 other convicts with options of fines in their sentencing also got their freedom after NGOs in the CJ’s entourage agreed to pay their fines.