The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, on Friday set 57 awaiting trial inmates free to reunite with their families.
The CJ said that beneficiaries of the gesture were “six inmates, who were granted bail, nine others released on the basis of having no case to answer and 42, who were released unconditionally based on health issues and minor offences.”
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Ogunmoye made the decision during an official visit to the Federal Correctional Centre, Ado Ekiti.
He reviewed 518 cases comprising 511 male and seven female inmates.
The CJ advised the released inmates to “be good ambassadors. The law will catch troublemakers in Ekiti State.”
He thanked stakeholders including the Legal Unit of the Nigerian Police Force, Ekiti State Command; the Director of Public Prosecutions; lawyers from private and official bar, court registrars and others for their contributions.
He also commended the Comptroller of Corrections, Olufemi Okuseinde, “for maintaining a hygienic environment as well as keeping the inmates healthy.”
The Comptroller, Okuseinde, who said the CJ’s visit and gesture were relief to some inmates, noted that the centre was overcrowded, with 922 inmates against a capacity of 324.
She made case for provision of more spaces in the custodial facility, urging the CJ and the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Dayo Apata SAN, to use their positions to provide more cells and buildings to enhance proper classification of inmates.
According to her, such will allow for adequate sentence planning, reformation and rehabilitation.
Among those present at the exercise were the AG, Apata; high court judges; Director of the Legal Aid Council in Ekiti State, Mr Adeyinka Opaleke; magistrates, and others.