TWENTY-ONE prison inmates in Ondo State have regained their freedom after the state chief judge, Justice Olutoyin Akeredolu, visited three correctional facilities as part of activities marking the 2019/2020 legal year.
The inmates from Okitipupa and Olokuta medium-security correctional centres regained their freedom at the weekend as part of the measures towards reducing congestion in the prisons.
The freed inmates who were accused of minor offences ranging from stealing to illegal conversion and were mostly in their 20s, leapt for joy as they were set free of the charges brought against them.
At the Okitipupa Medium Security Correctional Centre, Justice Akeredolu released six out of the 79 inmates awaiting trial. Four out the six freed inmates were males, while the remaining two were females.
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Also, a 13-year-old boy accused of rape was discovered among the inmates and the chief judge directed that he be transferred to a children’s correctional centre.
At the Ondo Medium Prison, none of the inmates was released, while 15 inmates were released at the Olokuta facility.
While some were let off on health grounds, others were released for lack of diligent prosecution on the part of the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the state Ministry of Justice.
The chief judge warned against shoddiness on the part of the DPP, as she observed that cases that ought to have been dispensed with were not handled expeditiously as the Administration for Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) stipulates.
She then issued a stern warning against tardiness on the part of some magistrates, especially at the Okitipupa judicial division, as some cases were adjourned for a period of three months.
and then