The Rivers state Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Iyaye A. Laminkanra has granted pardon to 62 inmates of the Port Harcourt maximum Prisons ahead of May 27, Democracy day celebration.
The two-day goal delivery exercise held at Port Harcourt Prison yard Monday and Tuesday, witnessed outright release of 54 and 8 inmates respectively, while two were granted bail.
She however did not announce any sum for their bail condition.
It was her maiden exercise since her appointment last July. She took over from the embattled Justice Daisy Wotube Okocha who was substantive CJ for just two weeks, before her retirement from service same July 2015.
Over 450 names were presented to the visiting Judge for consideration, including those charged with capital offences, but luck fell on the 62 for consideration.
Most of the persons she released are those charged for light offences, like conspiracy, escape, stealing, burglary assault among others and who has been in the Awaiting Trial Men (ATM), list for between three and Seven years without being taken to court.
However three of the inmates were released on the grounds of age. They are 70 years and above and have been on awaiting trial list for about Eight years. Underage inmates were also considered.
However nobody was released from the female list. The 34 names in the list are all charged with capital offences, mostly murder. The CJ said their charges are critical and that they should stay back and allow the law takes its course.
No fewer than 55 of the inmates are currently suffering from either Tuberculosis (TB) or immune suppressed ailment.
The Medical Doctor in charge of the Prison simply identified as Wakama confirmed this. He presented the lists to the CJ.
The conditions have deformed some of them; they no longer walk on their own and had to be carried about by their colleagues. But their pitiful conditions did not fetch them release.
Most of them are charged with murder, defilement of underage girls and armed robbery. Two of them Olali Ogana and Inusa Usman who were charged for assault and stealing respectively were discharge, but the condition of Ogana who is on the TB list looked critical; the TB has made him weak and paralysed with the legs twisted. He was carried thru and fro the court room but was unable to sit down.
Laminkanra encouraged the Prison officials to ensure they are taken to court to face their charges, and promised to discuss with the magistrates on the need to include the cases in the list to be heard in court.
But to those discharged she urged them to steer clear from crime and be engaged with meaningful means of living.
“Go and sin no more. There should be no excuse that there is no job, many of you can farm, get menial jobs to keep life moving.
“Go and be good citizens of the country and the state, stay out of crime, some of you have been here for seven years, if you come back here again, you may not be that lucky again.” She advised.
Earlier in an address by the Deputy Controller of Port Harcourt Prison, Mr. A. Ndupu, the prison as at May 18, 2016 has the population of 3, 824 inmates, with 3, 422 in the ATM.
Ndupu recalled that the Prison which was built almost 100 years ago (1918), was planned for just 804 inmates but the facility has continually been overstretched without any expansion of any kind.
He thanked the CJ for the exercise, saying that it would go a long way in decongesting the facility.
Meanwhile the coordinator of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Orashi Mandate Group, Napoleon Adah has called on the Minister of Interior, Abdullrahman Dambaza and the Controller-General Nigeria Prison Services Dr. Peter Ekpendu to facilitate the completion of Omoku prison project to ease congestion of Port Harcourt prison and to check further spread of diseases in the place.
Adah was reacting to the reports of over congestion of the prison by everybody who had visited there.
The Activist also called for the rehabilitation of the three existing prisons in the state-, Port Harcourt, Degema and Elele Prisons to help the inmates lead good lives even while being incarcerated.
He noted that the steps would give room for proper security to avoid jail breaks.