As part of efforts to decongest the custodial centres, the Ekiti State Chief Judge, Justice John Adeyeye, on Thursday, set 34 awaiting-trial inmates free and cautioned them that punishment awaited any of them or anyone that committed crime.
Three among them were released on bail, 22 were released unconditionally and nine others were released based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions that they had no case to answer.
Adeyeye advised the released inmates to “go and sin no more,” adding that “the long hand of the law was awaiting anyone found causing public unrest in the state”.
They were among the 508 cases reviewed during the visit of the CJ to the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Ado Ekiti.
Adeyeye, however, encouraged the DPP, the police and other stakeholders in the criminal justice administration that “timely arraignment and assemblage of witnesses in court would help in decongesting our prisons.”
The CJ urged the magistrates, the police and other stakeholders to be abreast of the new laws of the land and stop use of archaic law languages.
The Comptroller of the Correctional Centre, Joseph Ojo, represented by the Assistant Comptroller of the Centre, O. Atinaro, who thanked the CJ and his entourage for the visit, canvassed more for non-custodial sentences, such as community service, saying, “if the practice is fully utilised, our custodial centres would be less congested.”
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