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Rivers Chief Judge releases 415 prison inmates

The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Iche Ndu, on Tuesday released 415 inmates awaiting trial from Port Harcourt prisons. Justice Ndu, who reviewed the … Continue reading Rivers Chief Judge releases 415 prison inmates


Prison inmates; 33,692 out of 42,124 inmates across the country are awaiting trial.

The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Iche Ndu, on Tuesday released 415 inmates awaiting trial from Port Harcourt prisons.

Prison inmates; 33,692 out of 42,124 inmates across the country are awaiting trial.

Justice Ndu, who reviewed the cases of suspects awaiting trial, told reporters at the prison that the visit was an annual exercise of the state judiciary instituted to decongest the prisons.

He said that those released were being charged with various offences ranging from armed robbery, murder to attempted murder.

The chief judge said the decision was difficult to reach, but “the law is on their side because we cannot continue to keep them in custody.”

He said some of the inmates were discharged unconditionally while others were granted bail, adding that they had stayed in prison for three to nine years without trial.

Justice Ndu said that those granted bail would have to meet their bail conditions of between N100, 000 to N350, 000, with one surety each.

He advised them to earn a legitimate living by shunning all forms of criminal activities.

Ndu noted that some underage persons were kept in the same custody with adult and urged the prison authorities to stop the practice which was against the law.

He exonerated the courts from delays in the commencement of trial of imates, noting that the Ministry of Justice did not have enough manpower to prosecute the cases.

Jerome Ogundana, Controller of Prisons in the state, said the release of the inmates was a huge relief to the prison authorities.

He however, noted that some of those granted bail might not be able to meet the conditions, while others would soon return due to their continuous involvement in crimes.