Twenty-one awaiting trial inmates at the Kirikiri Medium Prisons in Lagos State regained their freedom on Wednesday, following a visit by the state Chief Judge, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade.
As at Wednesday before the release of the 21 inmates, the Kirikiri Medium Prisons, with a holding capacity of 1,700 prisoners, housed a total of 2,452 inmates.
Out of these 2,452, the number of inmates who were in custody awaiting trial was 2,349, representing about 96 per cent; while only 92 inmates had been convicted.
The bulk of those freed were in the category of inmates who had stayed in the prison longer than the prison term prescribed in law for their various alleged offences.
The Lagos CJ, who freed the 21 inmates pursuant to Section 1 (1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2007, charged them to “go and sin no more”.
“Those of you released should henceforth be of good behaviour. The state government is committed to a crime-free Lagos and anyone found committing crime will be arrested and prosecuted,” the CJ said.
Atilade appealed to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders working with the prisons authorities to ensure that those released were properly re-integrated into the society.
She said that her visit to the prison to release inmates would be a continuous exercise.
The CJ further restated her commitment to achieving a system of justice administration in Lagos State where the courts will work efficiently and the prisons are decongested.
Earlier in his welcome remark, the Officer-in-Charge of the prison, Deputy Controller of Prisons Kayode Odeyemi expressed his appreciation to Atilade for exercising the powers conferred on her by law to release the inmates. Odeyemi, said the gesture found justification in the fact that most of the inmates were in prison for minor offences, which would not have attracted long prison terms if convicted.
“My Lord, today the criminal justice system of Lagos State has taken a leap in seeing that justice is done to all as a result of your visit to the prison because a good number of inmates with minor offences will be let off the hook,” he said.
The DCP appealed to the state judiciary and the executive to assist the prison authorities by procuring trucks and buses to ease the challenge of conveying inmates to court for their trials.
