Go and sin no more, Lagos CJ tells freed prisoners

The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke, freed nine
prisoners on Thursday and directed magistrates in the state to
deploy non-custodial sentencing for minor offenders to decongest
the prisons.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that five inmates out
of 25 shortlisted were released from Medium Security Prisons.

This included one Saidi Raimi from Kwara who was released to a
mental home.
Four out of 10 others shortlisted, were released from the Maximum
Security Prisons, Kirikiri, having been in custody between eight
and 11 years.

They were said to have stayed longer in custody than the number
of years they would have spent if sentenced by the court for
offences charged.

The Chief Judge told the released inmates to, henceforth, be of
good behaviour and stay away from crime.

She advised them to desist from any act that would bring them
back to prison.

“Pursuant to the provisions of Sections 1(1) of the Criminal
Justice (Release from Custody) Act, 2007 as well as Section 35 of
the 1999 Constitution, you are hereby released from custody today,
Dec. 6, 2018.

“I want you to ,henceforth, be of good behaviour. Make sure you
don’t breach any law again. Go out there and sin no more”, she
admonished them.

Although,10 women were shortlisted from the female section for
release, she regretted that none qualified for release.

She said that their trials had commenced and are at present on
bail.

One of them, Uche Emeasoba, however, had her bail conditions
reduced from N1million to N500,000 and the sureties reduced to
one.

Justice Oke explained that those granted amnesty were qualified
for release after a thorough review of their case files.

She also said the Chief Registrar had been directed to issue a
circular immediately on her instruction to the magistrate
courts.

“All magistrates would, henceforth, be monitored to ensure
compliance with the directive,” she said.

Oke also said that the state government was contemplating the
establishment of restorative justice centres in the state.

“All simple cases need not go to police. The restorative justice
centre is a mediation centre.

“If there is an agreement and the guilty one can pay for a
missing tooth, why go to court? This is a way of decongesting the
prisons,” she said.

The Lagos State Controller of Prisons, Mr Tunde Ladipo, while
responding to questions from journalists commended the Chief Judge
for bringing hope to the inmates and her efforts to decongest the
prisons.

Ladipo notd the efforts of the Nigerian Prisons Service to
decongest the prisons.

He said that was why the Federal Government set up the
Presidential Committee on Prerogative of Mercy for deserving
inmates.

Earlier,the Deputy Controller of Prisons, Medium Security
Prisons, Kirikiri, Rev. Freedman Ben-Rabbi, had requested the Chief
Judge to assist them with the provisions of court cells within the
premises of Igbosere High Court, Isolo and Ejigbo Magistrates’
Courts.

Ben-Rabbi and Assistant Controller of Prisons, (ACP) Christy
Diala and Sp. Joda Olatunbosun of the Female Prisons and Maximum
Security Prisons respectively, appealed to the Chief Judge for
logistic support for easy movement and prosecution of the
inmates.

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