119 prison inmates, who were either awaiting trial or had not
been charged to court,were set free by Ayotunde Philips, the Chief Judge of
Lagos State. While 99 inmates were released from the Kirikiri Medium Security
Prison, 20 were freed from the Maximum Security Prison. The release is part of
activities marking the commencement of the 2013 legal year of the Lagos State
Judiciary.
81 of the 99 inmates of the Medium Security Prison allegedly
committed major offences while 18 were minor offences. Out of the 99 freed
inmates, 54 had already been released following advice by the Director of
Public Prosecution, prison authorities said.
“I hope the (freed) inmates will know that it is the grace of
God. And secondly, that they know they have a second chance to turn around,”
said Catherine Onoye, Controller of Prisons, Lagos State.
“It would be painful to set you free, and then see you again,”
she added.The Medium Security Prison has a capacity to house 835 inmates, but
it is currently home to 2,554 inmates – over 2100 of them still on the awaiting
trial list.
Mrs. Onoye described the chief justice’s release of the inmates
as “very necessary and essential.”
“The prison is made for prisoners, not for those awaiting
trial,” she added. Unlike in previous years when journalists were allowed to
have a field day with the freed inmates, the class of 2013 were barred from
speaking to reporters.
Mr. Audu and Innocent Nwokoro, another freed inmate, were
allowed to have a brief chat with the journalists under the stern watch of prison
warders. Mr. Nwokoro, 33, who had spent one year and eight months at the Medium
Security Prison, maintained that he did “not commit any offence.”
“I feel so happy and so bad. I feel bad because some people here
did not commit any crime,” Mr. Nwokoro, who said he was a businessman at the
Lagos Trade Fair Complex, added.
Source: Premium Times
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