Lagos CJ Frees Additional 26 Inmates from Ikoyi Prison

Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade, yesterday, released additional 26 awaiting trial inmates from Ikoyi Prisons, Lagos.

This brings to 47 the number of awaiting trials freed by Justice Atilade, having released 21 inmates from Kirikiri Medium Security Prisons on Wednesday.

Out of the 26 inmates freed yesterday, 16 were physically present while 10 others had earlier left the prison walls with the approval of the state chief judge.

Justice Atilade said the visit was aimed at decongesting the prisons and in exercise of the Chief Judge’s powers under Section 1 (1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provision Act CAP C40, 2007, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

The chief judge said it was necessary to release those on the Awaiting Trial list who had been in prison for “an unreasonable period of time.”

According to her, the released inmates had been in prison awaiting trial for period ranging from two months and above.

While reinstating her commitment to an effective justice delivery system where the courts work efficiently and the prisons are decongested, she urged the freed inmates to keep away from crime and henceforth be of good behaviour.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Deputy Controller of Prisons (DCP) in charge of Ikoyi Prisons, Bamidele Emmanuel Olanrewaju, informed the chief judge about the reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration activities for the inmates the prison management had put in place.

He said they were being trained in different vocational fields such as barbing, tailoring, carpentry, welding, electrical, among others.

Olanrewaju also disclosed that 70 out of 116 inmates that wrote the last November/ December GCE passed creditably while 27 inmates who wrote the electronic based examination scored between 170 and 240.

He said some of the inmates are also undergoing various courses at the National Open University.

The DCP also informed the Justice Atilade about the state of congestion at the correctional institution.

He said there were 1,811 inmates, “out of whom the awaiting trial inmates were 1,631, which is about 90 per cent of the population. The convicted figure is just 180 which is about 10 per cent in a prison with a capacity of 800.”

Olanrewaju then admonished that all segments of the society should be collectively involved in the reintegration of the freed prison inmates.