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Tag: inmates

  •  222 inmates on death row in Delta prison

    The Chairman of Delta State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, Mr. Patrick Okpakpor, has expressed concern about the large number of persons on death row at the Warri Medium Security Prison.

    He urged the Federal Government to take a look at the issue of death sentence.

    Okpakpor, first attorney-general and commissioner for Justice in Delta State, who led other members on their maiden visit to Okere Prison in Warri, decried its poor condition.

    Okpakpor, who was conducted round the facilities by the Deputy Controller of Prison, Mr. Sam Airiohuodion, was shocked at the congestion, which he said should be treated as a national emergency.

    He urged the Federal Government to make provision to expand the overstretched facility.

    Warri Medium Prisons was built to accommodate 307 inmates, but has over 1,500 inmates.

    Airiohuodion, who praised the visit, appealed to  governments to intervene by building additional facilities to accommodate convicts.

  • Chief Judge frees 19 Ikoyi Prison inmates

    REPRIEVE yesterday came for 19 Ikoyi Prison  inmates.

    Lagos State Chief Judge (CJ) Justice Opeyemi Oke freed the inmates who have been awaiting trial for minor offences for between three and five years.

    Besides, Justice Oke  spoke of plans plans to review the fines and sentences for minor offences.

    Among the freed is Damilola Joseph, a final year Computer Science student of the University of Lagos, who was charged with stealing but has been in custody since 2016 following his inability to perfect his bail conditions.

    The CJ told them to, henceforth, be of good behaviour and desist from any act that would bring them back to prison.

    Reacting to  some inmates’ complaints about huge fines and stiff bail conditions, Justice Oke said the  judiciary was working towards addressing such challenges.

    “We have heard your complaints and you can be 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.

    Deputy Comptroller of  Ikoyi Prisons, Tolu Ogunsakin  appealed to the CJ to assist  in  decongesting the prison through accelerated trial and adoption of community service for minor offences.

    “I also appeal for the introduction of parole as it is being done in some countries and  amnesty by the  governor in order to reduce  overcrowding in our prisons,” he pleaded.

    Ikoyi Prison, which was  built in 1955, with a  capacity for 800 inmates presently holds  2752  comprising 2261 awaiting trial and 491 convicts.

  • Lagos CJ grants freedom to 19 inmates of Ikoyi prison

    Lagos CJ grants freedom to 19 inmates of Ikoyi prison

    The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke Wednesday granted freedom to 19 inmates of Ikoyi Prisons.

    The released inmates have been awaiting trial for between three to five years.

    Justice Oke also disclosed plans by the state judiciary to review the fines and sentencing guidelines of suspects convicted in minor offences.

    Amongst those who breathed the air of freedom Wednesday is one Damilola Joseph, a final year Computer Science student of University of Lagos who was charged for stealing but has remained in prison custody since 2016 following his inability to perfect his N250, 000 bail conditions.

    The Chief Judge told the released inmates to henceforth be of good behaviour and desist from any act that would bring them back to prison.

    “Pursuant to the provisions of Sections 1(1) of the Criminal Justice (Release from Custody) Act, 2007 as well as Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, you are hereby released from custody today, February 21, 2018.

    “I want you to henceforth be of good behaviour. Make sure you don’t breach any law again. You have to determine within yourself to be a law abiding citizen and go out there and sin no more”, she admonished the released inmates.

    Reacting to complaints by some inmates of the prison who have been unable to pay  fine imposed on them in place of imprisonment and stiff bail conditions, Justice Oke said that the state judiciary is aware of the challenges faced by such inmates and is working towards addressing it.

    “We have heard your complaints and you can be 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 guideline on cases before our courts,” she said.

    Earlier in his welcome address, Deputy Comptroller of Prisons in charge of Ikoyi Prisons, Ogunsakin Tolu 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 effort by accelerating trial and adopting community service for minor offences.

    “Your lordship, I am appealing to you on passionate ground to help us in the area of acceleration of trial, and dispensation of justice especially where minor offence can be given a 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 built in 1955 with a lockup capacity of 800 inmates presently have 2752 inmates made up of 2261awaiting trial inmates and 491 convicted inmates.

    Read Also: Lagos CJ frees 43 Ikoyi prison inmates

  • A’Ibom jailbreak: 28 inmates still at large–CG

    A’Ibom jailbreak: 28 inmates still at large–CG

    The Controller General of Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) Mr Jaffaru Ahmed, has disclosed that 28 inmates of Ikot Ekpene Prisons that escaped during jailbreak on Dec. 27, 2017 were still at large.

    Ahmed disclosed this to newsmen after an inspection of facilities in Ikot Ekpene Prisons on Friday.

    The controller general, who described the facilities in Ikot Ekpene Prisons as well fortified, attributed the jailbreak to lapses on the part of prison staff.

    “About 40 inmates found their way out of Ikot Ekpene Prisons in a broad daylight around 11.45 a.m.

    “They took on the lapses that they saw, perhaps they have been planning it for a very long time and actualised it on December 27, 2017 when they saw the opportunity.

    “The 28 that are at large are very hardened criminals; some of them are kidnappers awaiting trials, some are facing capital offences and therefore it is something to worry,” Ahmed said.

    He lamented that those still at large supposed to be in custody to allow the other members of the society to live in peace.

    He assured Akwa Ibom people and the entire nation that the fleeing inmates would soon be recaptured to face their trials.

    He added that any staff found wanting would have to face the full wrath of the law.

    The controller general debunked insinuations from some quarters that the jailbreak was due to infringement on the fundamental rights of the inmates.

    He said, “These prisoners were not rioting because there was maladministration in the prison system, but they organised it in order to get freedom illegally. That is what actually happened.

    “It was not that they were not being fed or given medical attention or not taken to court.

    “Any insinuation anywhere, I state that investigation I have here before me, that there was nothing than they took lapses on the part of staff and organised to escape.”

    Ahmed commended the Akwa Ibom Government for the support given to the Nigeria Prisons Service and appealed for more.

    He thanked other sister security agencies for their cooperation and sought for more to enable the service to recaptured the fleeing inmates, to ensure peace and tranquillity in the state. (NAN)

  • Ikpeazu pardons nine inmates

    Ikpeazu pardons nine inmates

    Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has pardoned nine inmates in Abia and other parts of the country.

    A statement by the Commissioner for Justice and Chairman, State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, Umeh Kalu (SAN), said the pardon is in commemoration of the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

    According to the statement, the prisoners are serving various jail terms at the Enugu, Aba, Umuahia and Kirikiri, Lagos prisons for stealing, advance fee fraud and assault.

    Two of the prisoners had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment, while a female murder convict had her death sentence commuted to a pardon, with an order made for her immediate release.

    The statement reads: “The other six prisoners were granted total pardon and also ordered to be released forthwith. All the releases were made by the governor, on the advice of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.

    “The governor wishes that the released prisoners will take advantage of the new lease of life granted them, and forever refrain from crime.”

  • Buhari vows to reform, decongest Prisons

    Buhari vows to reform, decongest Prisons

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Kano reaffirmed that prison reforms and decongestion will be pursued with greater vigor by his administration.

    Speaking at a ceremony in Kurmawa Central Prison Kano, at which 500 inmates were either pardoned or set free upon the payment of fines by the State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, President Buhari lamented that some of the freed inmates were young and charged prison authorities to make every effort to make better citizens of prisoners.

    President Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, pledged that prisons reforms and decongestion would continue to receive prompt attention from his administration.

    He harped on the need for prisoners to receive proper care, support and rehabilitation to make them better citizens after serving their prisons terms.

    He said “I am pleased with this visit and I have learnt a bit more about the conditions of the prisons and inmates.

    “This building in front of us was built since 1910. Rehabilitation of prisoners and training of inmates is very important to us and we would continue to invest more on this.

    “I asked one of the inmates (released) how old he was and he told me he is only 19 years old.

    “If we have people of 18 and 19 years in the prison, and there is no continuous training, then their lives will be completely destroyed. We will invest more in education and vocational training,’’ he said.

    The 500 inmates granted pardon, including men and women, were drawn from various prisons in Kano state, including Kurmawa prisons, which has 1,398 inmates as opposed to 750, the established capacity.

    Earlier, the President who arrived Kano to a tumultuous welcome by the Government and people of the State at the start of a two-day state visit paid homage to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.

    At the Emir’s place, President Buhari recounted his fond memories of Kano, as a symbol of peace, trade, commerce and industry in Nigeria.

    ‘‘If there is a problem here, the whole country has a problem. I remember the industry and employment people get in Kano.

    ‘‘Before the problem in the North East, I remember the number of articulated vehicles that leave this city to Maiduguri and the Cameroons, and the number of vehicles that come in from Chad and Niger, providing millions of jobs to Nigerians.

    ‘‘A lot of people in Nigeria didn’t realise how much the instability in the North East have cost the people and the industry here ’’ he said.

    President Buhari, therefore, assured all Nigerians that the fight against the degraded Boko Haram will be sustained, in addition to the positive trends in the economy and the fight against corruption.

    ‘‘The three things we said in our campaign on security, economy and fighting corruption, nobody will be able to successfully disabuse the minds of Nigerians on our clear intentions for our country and our people,’’ he said.

  • Drugs distributed to inmates

    The Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) has said it has begun distribution of drugs worth millions of Naira to inmates in its four prisons in Enugu State.

    Controller of Prisons in Enugu State Mr Ndubuisi Ogbodo, who addressed reporters in Enugu, said the drugs were donated by the Minister of Interior, Abdurrahman Dambazau, and the Controller-General of Prisons, Alhaji Ja’afaru Ahmed, to improve the health of inmates.

    He said the drugs came at the right time, as the command had been facing epileptic supply in the last few years.

    The controller added that “before now, we have been having epileptic supply of drugs for inmates and never had it so good for so long.

    “Since the assumption of office by the minister of interior and the controller-general, a lot of efforts have been made to take care of prisoners.

    “The drugs we received this time were the first of its kind. In fact, we are well equipped with drugs now than before.”

    He listed the drugs as anti-malaria, antibiotics, anti-fungal, analgesics and cough syrup and multivitamins.

    Ogbodo said the drugs would be distributed to the four prisons at Oji River, Ibite-Olo in Ezeagu Local Government, Nsukka and Enugu.

    He added that the peculiar problem of headache and skin diseases among inmates will be dealt with.

  • 16 inmates freed in Kwara

    Sixteen inmates at the Oke Kura and Mandala prisons in Ilorin, Kwara State, have been pardoned by the Chief Judge, Justice Sulyman Kawu.

    During a visit to the prisons, Justice Kawu said the pardon followed a directive by the Federal Government to decongest prisons.

    He said the inmates were freed because they were  illegally arrested and detained.

    Justice Kawu, who promised more visits to the prisons, advised those freed to do well with their life.

    “We observe over time, that most of the inmates have skin disease, so we urge the prison authorities to address the situation before it spreads to. Whatever we feel the government can do as you requested earlier, we will try our best to press the government to fulfil its promise of providing vehicle medical inputs to treat.

    “We have gone through the list of 182 inmates, comprising convicted and awaiting trial, and we have decided, upon examination, that 15 inmates deserve to be released today. The basis of our decision is mainly because we think their detention is manifestly unlawful.

    “We have seen that some of the cases are civil in nature and not criminal, which will not attract any arrest or detention. We also observed that in some cases, the instruments of arraignment are either defective or not available; no proceeding can issue out of invalid instruments. So we have taken steps to release these inmates.

    “We also observed that there are some juveniles detained for belonging to a gang of thieves, through the facts contained in the First Information (FR). We believe the facts do not support the allegations contained in the FIR. So we have ordered they be released forthwith.

  • Kwara CJ grants 16 inmates pardon

    Kwara CJ grants 16 inmates pardon

    The Kwara state Chief Judge, Justice Sulyman Kawu Thursday granted pardon to 16 prisons inmates Ilorin.

    Speaking after a visit to the Nigeria Prisons Service located at Oke Kura and Mandala prisons, Ilorin, the state, the CJ said that the exercise was carried out on the request of the federal government through the state government to effect prison decongestion in parts of the country.

    Justice Kawu said that the exercise was not aimed at short-crcuiting court trial.

    He added that the inmates were granted freedom either for unlawful arrest and detention, or civil cases that required no detention.

    It was gathered that the Oke Kura prisons with 121 capacity had a total of 425 inmates, while that of Mandala prisons had 160 capacity with 239 inmates.

    The CJ, who said that he would pay regular visit to the prisons to effect prison decongestion, advised those freed to find something doing.

    Said he: “We observe over time, that most of the inmates have skin disease and we urge the authorities of the prisons to take steps arrest the situation before it spreads to other inmates. Whatever we feel the state government can do for you as you requested earlier, we will try our best to contact the state government to fulfill its promise of providing vehicle for you and to take urge steps to provide medical inputs to treat those inmates who are sick.

    “We have gone through the list of a total of 182 inmates consisting of convicted and awaiting trial and we have come to a decision, upon examination that 15 inmates are deserving of being released in custody today. The basis of our decision to release them is mainly because we are of the view that their detention is manifestly unlawful.

    “We have seen that some of the cases are civil in nature and not criminal which will not attract any arrest or detention.

    “We also observed that in some cases the instruments of arraignment are either defective or not available. No proceeding can issue out of invalid instruments. So we have taken steps to release these inmates.

    “We also observed that there are some juveniles detained for belonging to a gang of thieves, through the facts contained in the First Information (FR). We are of the view that the facts do not support the allegations contained in the FIR. So we have ordered they be released forthwith.

    “I just want to seize this opportunity to urge you to go and find something to do, because i will not want to find you back in the next one or 10 years. Please do not involve yourselves in any criminal act again.

    Earlier, the officer in charge of Ilorin Prison, DCP Adeyinka Adebayo, said that facilities in the prisons were overstretched, adding that overpopulation situation had resulted in different kind of diseases like scabies, craw craw etc.

  • 43 inmates pardoned by Sokoto CJ

    43 inmates pardoned by Sokoto CJ

    No fewer than 43 inmates awaiting trial in the Sokoto Central  Prisons were yesterday granted pardon by the state Chief Judge, Justice Bello Abbas.
    The pardon followed a visit to the prison by Justice Abbas to ascertain and review deserving cases, especially awaiting trial inmates and those that have spent many years in prison waiting for sentence.
    While granting the pardon, ‎Justice Abbas  said the gesture was aimed at de-congesting prisons to ensure that suspects did not stay much longer than necessary while awaiting trial.
    “Our aim is to see to the welfare of the inmates and ensure that no one will stay longer than necessary, while awaiting trial before the various courts in the state.
    “As such, the assignment we are embarking on is to ensure speedy clearance of all awaiting trials, while those who had over stayed were discharged.
    “This is in order to maintain the law as well as decongesting the prisons at the appropriate time of such needs,” he said.
    The chief judge also promised that all the remaining awaiting trial inmates would soon be tried, after liaising with all the courts and other related agencies.
    The visitation to the prison was carried out by all the judges in the state led by Abbas for  the conduct of the exercise.
    However, Abbas  promised to continue such exercise from time to time in order to ensure sanity in the conduct of justice and control the number of inmates in the prison.
    The Prison Controller Mr. Halliru Na’abba, commended the CJ, Sokoto state government and the Federal government for taking more measures in ensuring the well -being of inmates and prisons decongestion across the Country.
    He called on the pardoned inmates to utilized such opportunity in changing there lifestyle and become a better citizens in the country.
    The Chief Judge had on February 8, granted pardon to 28 awaiting trial inmates under the same exercise.