Lagos Chief Judge frees couple, 94 others from Kirikiri medium, female prisons
(Nigeria) Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice
Ayotunde Phillips, on Tuesday released a total of 96 inmates from the
Kirikiri Medium and Female Prisons in Lagos.
Among the released inmates were a nursing mother, Comfort James and
her husband, Bassey Ude, who had delivered a child in prison.
The couple had been in custody since March 2011, when they were charged to court, with stealing of jewellery.
88 inmates were released from the Kirikiri Medium Prison, while eight others were freed at the female facility.
Releasing the inmates, Phillips admonished them to "go and sin no more".
She said: ``To err is human, to forgive, divine. Nobody is above mistake. When you leave these walls, you should go away and make something of your lives. You should make a vow never to return here again because I am sure you have learnt your lessons."
The chief judge said she was saddened that there were so many awaiting trial inmates and promised to look into their cases.
Phillips said efforts were being made towards decongesting the prisons, in order to make them conducive for the inmates.
Earlier in his address of welcome, the Deputy Controller of the Medium Prison, DCP Tunde Ladipo, said the facility had 2,496 inmates.
Ladipo said only 152 inmates were convicts, while the remaining 2,344 were awaiting trial inmates.
He said: ``This shows that this place is highly congested because the capacity is 1,700.
``That is why it is necessary for the Chief Judge to come here regularly to free those inmates who are due for release."
Ladipo called for the introduction of suspended sentences, community service and parole in the Nigerian justice system.
He said the inmates were being put through a reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration programme, in order to make them useful to themselves and the society.
``Some inmates here are barbers. We have computer experts, shoe makers, actors and mechanics. Ten of them wrote examinations of the West African Examinations Council last year and eight of them had six credits. This year, we are enrolling 25 inmates for the General Certificate of Education examination’’.
On her part, the Deputy Controller of the Female Prison, DCP Isioma Onwuli, said the facility had capacity for 211 inmates.
Onwuli said the prison had 207 inmates comprising of 36 convicts, 167 awaiting trial inmates, three condemned inmates and one serving life imprisonment.
She said there were four pregnant women and nine babies in the facility, noting that these category of persons needed special care.
The release is pursuant to the Provisions of Section 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provision Act, CAP C40, 2007, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
The section empowers the Chief Judge to grant freedom to inmates who had spent a period longer than what they ought to have spent, if they were convicted for the offences they were charged with.
The couple had been in custody since March 2011, when they were charged to court, with stealing of jewellery.
88 inmates were released from the Kirikiri Medium Prison, while eight others were freed at the female facility.
Releasing the inmates, Phillips admonished them to "go and sin no more".
She said: ``To err is human, to forgive, divine. Nobody is above mistake. When you leave these walls, you should go away and make something of your lives. You should make a vow never to return here again because I am sure you have learnt your lessons."
The chief judge said she was saddened that there were so many awaiting trial inmates and promised to look into their cases.
Phillips said efforts were being made towards decongesting the prisons, in order to make them conducive for the inmates.
Earlier in his address of welcome, the Deputy Controller of the Medium Prison, DCP Tunde Ladipo, said the facility had 2,496 inmates.
Ladipo said only 152 inmates were convicts, while the remaining 2,344 were awaiting trial inmates.
He said: ``This shows that this place is highly congested because the capacity is 1,700.
``That is why it is necessary for the Chief Judge to come here regularly to free those inmates who are due for release."
Ladipo called for the introduction of suspended sentences, community service and parole in the Nigerian justice system.
He said the inmates were being put through a reformation, rehabilitation and re-integration programme, in order to make them useful to themselves and the society.
``Some inmates here are barbers. We have computer experts, shoe makers, actors and mechanics. Ten of them wrote examinations of the West African Examinations Council last year and eight of them had six credits. This year, we are enrolling 25 inmates for the General Certificate of Education examination’’.
On her part, the Deputy Controller of the Female Prison, DCP Isioma Onwuli, said the facility had capacity for 211 inmates.
Onwuli said the prison had 207 inmates comprising of 36 convicts, 167 awaiting trial inmates, three condemned inmates and one serving life imprisonment.
She said there were four pregnant women and nine babies in the facility, noting that these category of persons needed special care.
The release is pursuant to the Provisions of Section 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provision Act, CAP C40, 2007, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
The section empowers the Chief Judge to grant freedom to inmates who had spent a period longer than what they ought to have spent, if they were convicted for the offences they were charged with.
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