A Committee on Correctional
Service Decongestion and Reforms, working on behalf of President Muhammadu
Buhari has released 19 inmates including a 75-year-old man and his son.
The septuagenarian was released
from the Kuje Medium Security Correctional Centre, FCT Abuja. The man and his
son had spent 13 years in custody awaiting trial.
All the freed inmates were not
identified.
Chairman of the Presidential
Committee and Chief Judge, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Justice
Ishaq Bello on a visit to Kuje Correctional Centre, on 19 December, explained
the conditions for the release of the inmates.
The release, he said was based on
age, inability to pay fine, ill-health and overstay of statutory detention
period.
Justice Bello said the exercise
was in line with President Buhari’s foresight to decongest the custodial
centres to meet with the international standard of criminal justice and human
rights standard.
He said the Committee is working
hard to increase Skill Acquisition Centres as part of efforts to make inmates
acquire skills on any job of interest to enable them start a new life after the
completion of their jail terms. The inmates will be entitled to 25 per cent of
the proceeds of products from the centres.
Bello cautioned the Chief Magistrates
against indefinite detention of inmates in prison while advising them to spell
out the sentence if there is compensation, payment of fine, time or year.
Attorney-General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice (HAGF) Abubarkar Malami, SAN in his goodwill
message explained that the purpose of the visit was to; review cases of inmates
who have been convicted of minor offences with the option of fines and unable
to pay same; review cases of inmates with special cases; carrying out
on-the-spot assessment of the condition of the custodial centres and amongst
others.
The presidential committee since
inception had visited 36 Correctional Centres in 17 States of the Federation
and the FCT.
Over 3,813 inmates have so far
been released.
‘’Indeed, it has already become
starkly clear from deliberations during the previous custodial visits that we
as a nation cannot continue to overlook the need for non-custodial measures.
Such measures, including community service orders and probation, are clearly
provided for in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015’’, Malami
stated.
The congestion at Kuje
Correctional Centre typifies the need for a presidential intervention in the
prison system. The prison built for 560 inmates, now has 1010 inmates.
About 822 of the inmates are
awaiting trial, while about 145 are convicts.
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