Rivers Chief Judge frees 27 inmates

The Chief Judge of Rivers State, justice Simeon Amadi has granted pardon and discharged 27 inmates in the Port Harcourt maximum correctional center.

The freed inmates included those who were either on awaiting trials and had spent more than 8 years in detention, as well as those who have health challenges.

Among those released is the paramount ruler of Emelaga community, in Abua-Odua Local Government Area of Rivers State, Chief Sunday Iwori who was released on complicated health grounds.

The CJ said the jail delivery exercise was in exercise of his “powers in section 34 of the Rivers State administration of Criminal Justice Laws”, adding that decongestion of the Correctional centers should be a major concern for stakeholders in the administration of justice.

Justice Amadi attributed the congestion of the Correctional centres to a number of factors, including non-filing of information on case files, wrong charges, lack of diligent prosecution, among others.

He said in the pursuit to achieve decongested custodian centers in the State, the management of the State judiciary has “approved that periodically, magistrates will be posted to the centres to continue the exercise”.

He charged the freed inmates to be of good behavior and not to go back to their former lifestyle.

On his part, the State comptroller of corrections, Nigerian Correctional service, Alex Oditah commended the State judiciary for the exercise, adding that it will help to decongest custodial centres.