By Ayoyinka Jegede

In a decisive effort to decongest custodial facilities and uphold the rights of inmates, the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Hon. Justice Ekaette Fabian-Obot, has carried out a statewide jail delivery exercise, resulting in the release of 133 inmates across the four Custodial Centres in the Command.

The exercise, which commenced earlier this week, covered the Medium Security Custodial Centres (MSCCs) in Ikot Abasi, Eket, Ikot Ekpene, and Uyo. Justice Obot was accompanied by a robust delegation comprising judicial officers, prosecutors, Legal Aid Council representatives, Nigerian Bar Association officials, and human rights observers. His Lordship meticulously reviewed cases involving inmates held for prolonged periods or under questionable circumstances.

At each facility, officers-in-charge received the chief judge and her team, presenting briefs on the centers’ operational status, inmate population, and prevailing challenges.

At MSCC Uyo, Assistant Controller of Corrections Ezekiel Inyang acknowledged the Chief Judge?s prior donation of a high-voltage Fireman model petrol generator, describing it as timely and impactful.

Speaking during the exercise, Justice Obot emphasised the significance of jail delivery in safeguarding justice and fundamental human rights. ?This exercise aligns with the constitutional mandate of the judiciary to ensure that no person is unjustly detained without due process,? she stated.

The Chief Judge also called on officers at the correctional facilities to ensure that hygiene is maintained to reduce the spread of communicable diseases.

She instructed that the dormitory where all the sick inmates were camped should be properly sanitised and nobody should be put there for the meantime to avoid further spread of diseases.

The chief judge observed that most of the offenders had minor offences and had overstayed in the custodial centres beyond the period they were supposed to stay if they had been convicted.

The releases were based on various grounds, including overstayed remand durations, lack of diligent prosecution, ill health, missing case files, and compassionate considerations.

A breakdown of the 133 inmates released includes 4 from Ikot Abasi, 23 from Eket, 29 from Ikot Ekpene, and 77 from Uyo.

The CJ, while discharging the inmates in all the centres, charged them to be of good behaviour and shun all acts that might bring them back to the custodial centre.

Obot expressed displeasure at the number of inmates awaiting trials, some without any charge preferred against them, with some staying more than the sentence of their crime if convicted.

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