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Tag: Tunde Ladipo

  • Lagos CJ frees Nine prisoners

    The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke, freed nine prisoners on Thursday and directed magistrates in the state to deploy non-custodial sentencing for minor offenders  to decongest the prisons.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that five inmates out of 25 shortlisted were released from Medium Security Prisons.

    This included one Saidi Raimi from Kwara who was released to a mental home.
    Four  out of 10 others shortlisted, were released from the Maximum Security Prisons, Kirikiri, having been in custody between eight and  11 years.

    They were said to have stayed  longer in custody than the number of years they would have spent if sentenced by the court for offences charged.

    The Chief Judge told the released inmates to, henceforth, be of good behaviour and stay away from crime.

    She advised them  to  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, Dec. 6, 2018.

    “I want you to ,henceforth,  be of good behaviour. Make sure you don’t breach any law again. Go out there and sin no more”, she  admonished them.

    Although,10 women were shortlisted from the female section  for release, she regretted that none qualified for release.

    She said that their  trials  had commenced and are at present on bail.

    One of them, Uche Emeasoba, however, had her bail conditions reduced from N1million to N500,000 and the sureties reduced to one.

    Justice Oke explained that those granted amnesty were qualified for release after a thorough review of their case files.

    She also said the Chief Registrar had been directed to issue a circular immediately on her instruction to the magistrate courts.

    “All magistrates would, henceforth, be monitored to ensure compliance with the directive,” she said.

    Oke also said that the state government was contemplating the establishment of restorative justice centres in the state.

    “All simple cases need not go to police. The restorative justice centre is a mediation centre.

    “If there is an agreement and the guilty one can pay for a missing tooth, why go to court? This is a way of decongesting the prisons,” she said.

    The Lagos State Controller of Prisons, Mr Tunde Ladipo, while responding to questions from journalists commended the Chief Judge for bringing hope to the inmates and her efforts to decongest the prisons.

    Ladipo notd the efforts of the Nigerian Prisons Service to decongest the prisons.

    He said  that  was why the Federal Government set up the Presidential Committee on Prerogative of Mercy for deserving inmates.

    Earlier,the  Deputy Controller of Prisons, Medium Security Prisons, Kirikiri, Rev. Freedman Ben-Rabbi,  had requested the Chief Judge to assist them with the provisions of court cells within the premises of Igbosere High Court, Isolo and Ejigbo Magistrates’ Courts.

    Ben-Rabbi and Assistant Controller of Prisons, (ACP) Christy Diala and Sp. Joda Olatunbosun of the Female Prisons and Maximum Security Prisons respectively, appealed to the Chief Judge for logistic support for easy movement and prosecution of the inmates.

  • Govt not wasting resources educating condemned prisoners—Controller Prisons, Lagos Command

    The Controller of Prisons, Lagos State Command,  Tunde Ladipo, has dismissed the idea that the government is wasting resources by educating condemned inmates.

    According to him: “The government is not wasting time and resources by educating them. There is hope in hopelessness.  They have been condemned to death, but when you look at Nigeria now, no governor is ready to sign any death sentence, meaning that, that there is still hope.

    “Some of the inmates can be given amnesty in the future after spending 20 to 30 years.  I don’t think any inmate released from prison after that number of years would want to go back to crime again.

    The inmates are now seeing reasons not to confine themselves into state of hopelessness.  By chance, by luck or by providence, they can be considered for amnesty and by the time the amnesty comes they would have something to fall back on.  Their thinking is quite different now.”

    The CP noted that the service is not an agency that keeps inmates for the purpose of   custodial sake or for safety alone. “We keep them now for correction, reformation, and self empowerment. The glory and honour go to the Controller General, Alhaji Jafaru  Ahmed, who since coming to office has decided to reposition the Nigerian Prisons Service.

    He has also mandated all the officers in charge and the commands that education should be a priority in all our prison formations.  By this, those who are educated would have the opportunity further their studies and those who are not literate enough would also have the opportunity to improve and also become literate.  This is why since he assumed office, books have been sent to the prison libraries for the inmates to use.

    “It has also become a must for inmates who want to further their studies to register with National Open University. Even for the post -primary, it has been ensured that they would write their GCE or WAEC exams in the prisons without going outside to look for cetres to write the exams. Everything is now done within the prisons. JAMB, WAEC, and NOUN officials come here to conduct exams.  This year alone we have registered about 157 inmates for the GCE coming up next month.”

    Aside from the inmates that are in school, Ladipo said: “There is also room for skill acquisition for those  who cannot read or write or those who want to be self employed. The inmates make quality paints, engage in fish farming, production of shoes, insecticides and many more.  We have tailors who can sew customised clothes and as a matter of fact, the inmates made all our uniforms we are wearing in Lagos Command. The essence is that by the time they are empowered, they can be independent.

    Advising the public, the CP said: “What I have to tell the public now is that behind the prison walls there are talents.  In the prisons here in Lagos State Command, we have all manner of talents. We have them in the area of sports, and in spiritual matters we have a lot of them who are imams and pastors.  In fact, the chairs in my office were made by inmates of Ikoyi Prisons.

    “Everything we do in this place is done by the inmates.  What I want to tell Nigerians is that the inmates are human beings, they are our brothers and sisters. The job is not for the government alone to do.

  • 157 inmates set to write WASSCE, as two pursue PhD

    The Lagos Prisons Command says education behind bars is getting more interesting with two of its inmates already pursuing their PhDs at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison.

    The Controller of Prisons, Lagos Command, Mr Tunde Ladipo disclosed this in an interview with our reporter, on Monday in Lagos.

    According to him, there is a renewed interest in education among the inmates across the various prisons in the state.

    He said that the progress and courage exhibited by the two PhD inmates at the maximum prison had sparked off a new zeal for academic pursuit among other inmates.

    “The command is committed in ensuring that no inmate is left behind in terms of education, as this is part of the reformation we are carrying out.

    “Sometime around May or June, two of the inmates who have acquired their Masters degrees enrolled for their PhD in the newly established National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) centre at the Kirikiri facility.

    “One of the inmates is studying Business Management and the other, Peace and Conflict Resolution, and the Vice Chancellor of the NOUN who personally presented them with the letter approving their PhD courses said it is tuition free.

    “To us, this is ground breaking and very encouraging, as they have shown that they are not limited by the situation they find themselves. And that is part of the essence of our on-going reformation across the prisons.

    “As a result of this, the command is also witnessing an increase of enrollment of inmates into various categories of learning at the various prisons schools.

    “We are indeed happy with the establishment of the new NOUN centre at the Kirikiri Prison, with state-of-the art facilities such as ultra modern and well stocked library, computers and air conditioners,” Ladipo told our reporter.

    According to him, a total of 157 inmates across the prisons in the state have registered for the upcoming second series of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates.

    Giving a breakdown of the statistics of the inmates from the various facilities, he said that 91 of the inmates were from the Ikoyi Prisons, 12 from the Female Prisons, 14 from from the Medium and 40 from the Maximum Prisons.

    Ladipo said that preparations were in top gear for the examination at the various facilities, to ensure that the inmates come out in flying colours.

    Read Also: 44 inmates get Oyo CJ’s pardon

    “I will like to commend the Federal government for its commitment in exposing the inmates to life-changing reforms that are ongoing currently in the prisons, through education and skills acquisition.

    “It is worthy to note that government, through the Controller General of Prisons, Ja’afaru Ahmed, recently donated books to facilities across the country for improved research, teaching and learning for the inmates.

    “This, coupled with the new facilitators we have engaged to complement the existing ones in facilities, will go a long way in improving the performance of the inmates during the WASSCE examination.

    “Aside intervention from the Federal government in preparing the inmates for the examination, a bank also presented cash donation as well as some fans, in an effort to upgrade the facilities for conducive teaching and learning,” he said.

    The state controller said that empowering the inmates with education would go a long way in restoring confidence in them, as well as make them less dependent persons, whenever they regained freedom.

  • Prison inmate undergoing PhD programme – Controller

    Prison inmate undergoing PhD programme – Controller

    The Controller of Prisons, Lagos State Command, Tunde Ladipo, says education in prison facilities is getting better by the day, with an inmate in the Maximum Prison undergoing a PhD programme.

    Ladipo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that things were looking up, especially with the commitment of officials and performance of inmates.

    The controller spoke to NAN on the sideline of the 2017 Ikoyi Prisons Education Award held in Lagos on Thursday.

    He said that aside the inmate taking a PhD programme at the maximum prison, which is in Kirikiri, several others, both at the facility and the Ikoyi Prisons, were also undergoing Master’s degree programmes in various fields.

    The controller said that despite being in incarceration, many prisoners had shown zeal to acquire education, even at the highest level.

    Ladipo said the state of education facilities in prisons across the country was receiving a boost following the directive of the Controller-General of the Nigerian Prisons, Alhaji Ja’afaru Ahmed, that all their schools must be functional.

    “He is very much interested in the reformation of the inmates, especially as it concerns their welfare and has instructed that the education of inmates must be taken seriously.

    “ He has directed that all the schools within the walls of the prisons must be equipped and functional.

    “The controller-general also directed that we ensure too that our inmates are reformed spiritually and ensure that their welfare is always on the front burner.

    “He has gone a step ahead by providing drugs that will serve for not less than two years for inmates in prisons nationwide.

    “This is coupled with the acquisition and distribution of operational vehicles, such as the Green Maria, ambulances, escort and sewage vehicles as all as official cars,’’ Ladipo said.

    He said that in a bid to achieve accelerated growth and national transformation, every Nigerian must be given equal education opportunity, irrespective of where they may find themselves.

    Ladipo said that the prison, as a reformation centre, must not be an exclusion, as those in there, are equally entitled to their rights to be educated.

    “That is why we are putting every resource available at our disposal in ensuring that we make life conducive for the inmates by also bringing all levels of education to them within the facility.

    “The essence of bringing these persons to the prisons is to change their lives and empower them for the better in the future,’’ he said.

    Ladipo recalled that in 2015, the Maximum Security Prison School had produced a Master’s degree holder while still serving a jail term.

    He, however, said the feat was not single-handedly achieved, but with the collaboration of some religious and non-governmental organisations.

    “We appreciate their contributions, and like Oliver Twist, we are asking for more interventions from members of the public,’’ Ladipo said.

    The prison boss assured that management would speak with the authorities on the need to provide a standard CBT centre for the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination by JAMB for the inmates.

    He also appealed for more volunteer teachers to assist in the teaching of various subjects in the schools, especially as more inmates were yearning for education by the day.

  • Help inmates pay fines to decongest prisons – controller urges

    Help inmates pay fines to decongest prisons – controller urges

    Lagos State Controller of Prisons, Mr Tunde Ladipo, on Sunday called on well-meaning individuals and groups to assist inmates in paying fines imposed on them to decongest prisons.

    Ladipo made the appeal in an interview in Lagos.

    He said that a number of inmates were still in prison for inability to pay fines.

    Ladipo urged that prison congestion should be the concern of all stakeholders in the interest of the society.

    The controller appealed to stakeholders to come together and fashion out more ways to reduce congestion in the country’s prisons.

    He said that the command was holding meetings with the Lagos State Judiciary and some other stakeholders to ensure speedy trial of inmates,” Ladipo said.

    He said that the Federal Government was concerned about prison congestion and was making efforts to address it.

    According to the controller, the recently launched plea bargain option will also help to decongest prisons.

    “We are having meetings with stakeholders, for example, Lagos State Judiciary, because it is of utmost concern,’’ Ladipo said.

    He advised officers and men of the Nigeria Prisons Service to be God-fearing and dedicated.

    “They have to be focused; they need to have the fear of God because our work is service to humanity,” he said.

    NAN

  • ‘322 prisons inmates registered for WASSCE’

    ‘322 prisons inmates registered for WASSCE’

    A total of 322 inmates from Ikoyi and Kirikiri prisons in Lagos registered for the West African Senior Secondary Examination (WASSCE) in the last three years.

    The Controller of Prisons, Lagos State Command, Mr. Tunde Ladipo, disclosed this on Tuesday.

    The controller said inmates only sat for WASSCE for private candidates for ordinary level certificate.

    Ladipo said 206 of the inmates were from Ikoyi Prison, while 116 were from the Kirikiri Prison, Apapa.

    According to the controller, 75 inmates of Ikoyi Prison registered for the 2017 WASSCE for private candidates.

    He said 65 and 66 inmates of Ikoyi Prison sat for the examination in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

    Ladipo said 20 inmates of the Maximum Security Prison, Kirikiri, sat for the examination in 2015 while 25 sat for it last year.

    “17 inmates of the Medium Security Prison, Kirikiri, sat for the examination in 2015 while 21 took it in 2016,” the prison controller added.

    NAN