Lagos CJ frees 129 Ikoyi prison inmates

(Nigeria) The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, on Thursday released 129 inmates from the Ikoyi Prisons in Lagos.

Justice Phillips ordered the release when she paid a visit to the prison, as part of activities marking the 2013/2014 Legal Year of the state Judiciary.

NAN also reports that the Chief Judge had on Wednesday released another batch of 119 inmates from the Kirikiri Medium and Maximum Security Prisons in Lagos.

Releasing the inmates, Phillips admonished them to ``go and sin no more".

She reiterated her commitment towards decongesting the prisons, adding that the inmates being released had spent many years awaiting trial.

Phillips said: ``It is very sad to note that there are so many inmates awaiting trial despite our modest attempt to decongest the prison.

``However, I am very glad to hear that none of the inmates released on my last visit to Ikoyi Prison, Lagos in November 2012, have made their way back here."

She, therefore, advised the freed inmates to use their talents to make positive impact in the society.

Earlier, the Deputy Controller of Prisons, Ikoyi Prisons, Mr Emmanuel Bamidele, lauded the chief judge for her efforts towards decongesting the facility.

 Bamidele said: ``There are 1,835 inmates in Ikoyi Prisons and 1,671 of them are awaiting trial.

``Thus, no number of releases made today would be too much in decongesting this facility."

He said the prison was now a proper correctional facility where inmates were reformed, rehabilitated and re-integrated into the society.

``My inmates have learnt their lessons in a hard way and have now resolved to be law abiding citizens.

``They have learnt various vocational skills here such as soap making and furniture making and some of them are into singing and acting," Bamidele said.

NAN reports that the release is pursuant to the Provisions of Section 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provisions 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.