The chief judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Husseini Yusuf, has discharged 30 inmates awaiting trial across the two custodial centres in Keffi LGA of Nasarawa.
The inmates from the custodial centres were freed to decongest the overcrowding in these prisons and also to give hope to the prisoners who behaved morally while in the prison facilities.
Out of the 30 inmates discharged, 24 were from the Medium Security Custodial Centre, while six, all females, were from the Keffi Old Medium Security Custodial Centre.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the visit, Husseini said the visit aimed to ensure that the prison is free from overcrowding and that those who do not deserve to be behind bars can go free.
“We have decided to give hope to the hopeless. There are a lot of people who shouldn’t be here in the first place.
”This visit is to ensure that people who have no business being here are not kept behind doors, not even for one day. That is what we have done,” The chief judge said.
Further, he disclosed that the exercise will be continuous, with visits also scheduled for the Kuje and Suleja custodial centres to ensure that those who shouldn’t be detained in the correctional centres are set free.
Husseini blamed the congestion in the custodial centres and wrongful incarceration of inmates on different factors.
“The predicament of these types of inmates has been caused by the laxity of the deciding magistrates, the police and probably the challenges of the correctional centres, which are not properly equipped with the logistics support that they need to bring inmates to court regularly.
“It is good that they are encouraged with facilities to enable them to deliver on their mandate. By that we will quicken the dispensation of justice and eradicate this incident of people being kept in custody when they ought to be walking freely and breathing free air,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Public and Private Development Centre CEO, Lucy Abagi, told journalists her organisation was determined and committed to ensuring the decongestion of custodial centres nationwide.
She commended the FCT chief judge for finding time to visit Keffi to discharge inmates whom she said should not have been incarcerated in the first place, while also calling for the decongestion of other custodial centres.
