No fewer than 153 awaiting inmates of the Maximum and Medium prisons ‎Ikoyi, Lagos, we’re released by the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade on Wednesday.
Three of the released inmates were said to have been in the prisons custody for over 15 years. While 24 of the inmates were released from the Maximum prison, 129 were released from the medium prison.
Among the 129 inmates released from the Medium Prisons, 79 were standing trial for capital offences while 50 were standing trial for minor offences.
The Chief judge in her remark said the amnesty extended to the released inmates was part of her statutory duty to continuously ensure that the prisons are decongested.
She admonished the freed inmates to reciprocate the gesture by ensuring that they do not return back to crime. While enjoined all relevant stakeholders in the justice sector to joined the prison decongestion effort.
The CJ was accompanied on the visit by senior judges from the state judiciary, officials of the Lagos Ministry of Justice, members of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, various Non Governmental Organisation and representatives of the Nigerian Police.
The Deputy Comptroller in charge of Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Mr. Seye Oduntan, in his remarked appreciate the CJ for the amnesty gesture, pleaded with the CJ to ensure that the programme is a continous one as more inmates who qualify for the exercise still abound in the prison.
According to the statistic posted on the notice board of the Maximum cell showed the prison with a 1053 capacity currently has 1235 inmates. While 772 of the inmates are awaiting trial, 83 are serving life sentence, 209 have been convicted while 171 are condemned prisoners.
Also at the Medium prison which has a 1700 cell capacity, 2853 inmates are currently at the prison. 2726 are awaiting trial, 128 have been convicted, 25 are lodgers, 19 are detainees while only one inmate is condemned.
Story By Paul Sanusi
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