Delta Chief Judge frees four inmates in Warri Correctional Centre

Chief Judge of Delta State, Justice Tessy Diai has freed four inmates on the second day of the jail delivery exercise at the Warri Custodial Centre, popularly called Okere Prison, Delta State.

Ordering their release on Wednesday, the Chief Judge stated that trying Tejiri Akpoyibo, who appeared mentally unstable, was counter-productive.

He disclosed that the three others were released on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to the effect that they had no case to answer.

The lucky inmates, Tejiri Akpoyibo (25) charged with attempted murder; Anigoro Uduefe, Stanley Akporode and Kupa Tuphe charged with unlawful membership of a secret society, stated that they were innocent.

Speaking to journalists, Anigoro Uduefe said that he was a member of the Sapele Vigilante group and was going to see his wife at Udu, which was engulfed in crisis when the anti-kidnap group at Udu arrested and slammed him with an unlawful secret society charge.

Anigoro said he was innocent but happy that he has been eventually released on his son’s first birthday even as he thanked God for unveiling the truth.

Justice Diai commended the performance of the DPP and her team, the Chief Registrar, judges and chairmen of branches of the Nigerian Bar Association, Delta State present.

She noted that she was impressed because most of the problems experienced were on the issue of non-production of inmates resulting in an unexpectedly large number of inmates awaiting trial in the Warri Custodial Centre.

The Chief Judge, who reviewed 639 warrants, however, expressed dismay over the irregularity of prison officers in producing inmates to courts in the Ughelli axis.

She stressed that taking inmates once a week from a centre of over 300, was unacceptable.

”I am really distressed about the number of people going to Ughelli, distressed not just because of the number, but I just learnt that inmates are taken to that place once a week,” she averred.

The chief justice advised the prison authority to put up a proposal in order to address the abnormality.

”I am not happy, I am not impressed. Something must be done; so the number of times inmates are taken to those courts must increase,” she directed.

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