No fewer than 31 inmates of Ikoyi Prison, Lagos breathe the air of freedom in continuation of amnesty being granted those awaiting trial in court by the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade.

She continued her prison amnesty exercise Thursday, with the release of 31 inmates from the Ikoyi prisons.

Justice Atilade had earlier on Wednesday released a total of 153 inmates from the Kirikiri Maximum and Medium prisons.

The newly released brought to 184 the total number of awaiting trial inmates released from the prisons in Lagos.

The Chief Judge admonished the freed inmates against returning to crime.



She said her administration will continue to review cases of inmates who have no business being in prison.

“Those of you that have been released today should see this as an opportunity for a new beginning. You must henceforth be of good behaviour and never return to crime,” she told the freed inmates.

Justice Atilade stressed that her administration is committed to decongesting the prison and that situations where cases are allowed to prolong unnecessarily in court will not be tolerated.

“The purpose of carrying this exercise is to achieve a reduction of the awaiting trial population in the prisons. Situations where cases are allowed to unnecessarily drag on in court will no longer be tolerated,” she said.

Decrying some of the challenges why many deserving inmates do not benefit from the amnesty programme, the Chief Judge admonished the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution to always provide the Prison Decongestion Committee detailed information about the awaiting trial inmates.

She urged the DPP to develop mechanism where case files of inmates can easily be accessed and reviewed by the committee.

Justice Atilade also noted that the prison authorities must also be up and doing by making available adequate and relevant information to the decongestion committee made up of Justices Oluwatoyin Ipaye, Raliatu Adebiyi, Toyin Taiwo and Magistrate E.A. Fabamwo.

In his remark, the Deputy Comptroller in charge of Ikoyi Prison, Julius Ezeugwu thanked the Chief Judge for releasing the inmates.

DCP Ezeugwu noted that inspite of the large number of awaiting trial inmates in Ikoyi prison, the facility personnels have continued to make the place a truly reformatory prison.

“Your lordship, it is pertinent at this juncture to state that the total number of inmate as at today stands at 2295 out of which Awaiting Trial Inmates (ATM) constitutes 2009 inmates. This constitutes about 90 per cent while the convicted inmates is just 286 inmates. This about 10 per cent in a prison with a lock up capacity of 800 inmates”, he said.

Ezeugwu noted that Ikoyi is run as a full correctional institute for reformation rehabilitation of offenders in contrast to the erroneous impression or notion of Nigerian Prisons as mere warehouse for criminal elements or a dungeon.

she try ..........

I really hope the inmates have been rehabilitated

alabiphorlarsha:
she try ..........

I really hope the inmates have been rehabilitated

As if u dnt know 90% of these citizens deprived of their freedom by a cruel system are innocent.

May God reward this judge appropriately for tagging them criminals even before trial.
Wicked jungle we live in...