19th February, 2020
The Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola, on Wednesday, freed a total of 32 inmates from Agodi Correctional Centre in Ibadan.
Abimbola freed the inmates while leading the Administration of Criminal Law Justice Monitoring Committee to the centre as part of measures to decongest the centre.
The CJ said that a total number of 1,079 awaiting trial inmates were presented to the committee out of which 100 was attended to by the committee.
He said that only 32 inmates out of the 100 attended to were considered to be released on compassionate ground.
“Among those released were 25 males and seven females.
“Three out of them were released on health ground, while others were released because they have overstayed when compared to the number of years of the offence committed,” he said
He said that others not released were granted accelerated hearing.
The chief judge said that they had a duty as judicial officers to ensure the release of those worthy to be released and as well punish those who deserved to be punished accordingly.
He appealed to the freed inmates to turn a new leave and sin no more.
Earlier, Oyo State Comptroller of Nigeria Correctional Services, Tosin Akinrojomu, said the facility established in 1894 currently house 1,276 inmates.
Akinrojomu said that the capacity of the centre was 390, adding that the facility is highly populated.
“By the new Act the comptroller of correctional services have the power by Section 12 (4) to stop the intake of inmates in the centre when it is becoming dangerous for the system to take in more inmates.
“For us to do that, we have to contact the people that control the inflow of inmates such as the police, Attorney-General, among others, for them to come to the centre to release inmates,” Akinrojomu said.