No fewer than 30 inmates including four minors from Correction Centres in Lagos and Ogun states have been freed by the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba .
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that Alogba gave the order as part of the 2023 Decongestion of the Custodial Centres Exercise.
Among those granted freedom were four young boys who were minors when they committed the offences for which they were arrested.
PLATFORM TIMES further gathered that some of the individuals had been imprisoned since 2013, and their release marked the end of a long-awaited process.
The release took place at the Justice Samuel Ilori Court House in Ogba, where Justice Alogba exercised his authority under Section 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provision Act of February 24, 2022, along with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2019 of Lagos State.
Granting their freedom, he urged the inmates to abstain from further wrongdoing.
Justice Alogba noted that the purpose of the exercise was to ensure that the inmates did not serve longer sentences than they would have if convicted promptly.
He explained that while this decongestion exercise was not a regular occurrence, it was necessary due to various reasons.
He commended the committee led by Justice Adenike Coker for diligently reviewing the cases of those released.
The Chief Judge considered the cases of the freed inmates as indicative of a systemic failure, not due to the courts’ inactivity, but rather issues encountered during the prosecution of offenders.
He clarified that the inmates were not being released out of charity but as a self-cleansing exercise mandated by the law.
He emphasised the importance of following due process and maintaining diligence in all actions taken.
During the address, Ben Freedman, the Controller of Nigeria Correction Service (NCS), disclosed that approximately 9,000 inmates were currently held in three Correctional Centres in the state. Represented by Deputy Controller Comfort Obiosio, Freedman appealed to the Chief Judge to utilise his authority to grant privileges to remorseful inmates and alleviate congestion in the Custodial Centers.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Police, CP Idowu Owohunwa, represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Waheed Ayilara, stressed the partnership between the Nigeria Police and the justice system.
Ayilara vowed to ensure due process in their services and requested that the Chief Judge continue this exercise regularly to reduce the prison population. He further mentioned that the ideal maximum capacity should be around 1,500 inmates and assured that the police would diligently conduct investigations to contribute to the decongestion efforts.
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