Lagos CJ yet again releases 43 underaged inmates from Ikoyi prison

AS a follow up to the prison decongestion exercise, the Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Olufunmi Atilade, on Thursday released 43 underaged inmates held in the Ikoyi Prisons.

The number brings to 250 underaged inmates released so far in the last one month, from the Kirikiri and Badagry prisons.

While releasing the underaged inmates, the Judge sternly warned them to go and sin no more, while also stressing that the Lagos State Government has zero tolerance for underaged inmates in prisons.

“The Lagos State Government has zero tolerance for children in prisons. Children have no business being in adult prisons,” she stressed.

“This exercise is in continuation of the prison decongestion exercise we have embarked upon, based on the alert we received from the Head of Prison Ministry, Fountain of Life Church, Mrs Dupe Olubamowo.

“So far, we have been able to secure the release of 80 inmates from Badagry and 127 from the male and female wing of Kirikiri prisons,” she said.

While addressing the Chief Judge, the Deputy Controller of Prisons, Julius Ezugwu revealed that a total of 56 juveniles were in custody in the Ikoyi Prisons.

“It is my belief that at the end of this Jail Delivery exercise, the juveniles remand population if this prison would be completed depleted or scaled down to a meaningful size and that the best interest of the children would be harnessed accordingly,” Ezugwu said.

The CJ thereafter effected the release of 43 of the underaged inmates.

26 of the juveniles were sent home, while 12 of the juveniles were sent to Adigbe Foster Home Ogun state due to the nature of their crimes which involved murder and armed robbery. The remaining 5 juveniles were sent to mental homes.

While admonishing the freed juveniles, the Head if the Family Court, Justice Yetunde Idowu stressed the need for better education in order for the children to avoid societal vices

“No child below the age of 18 should be in prison. They have zero business being in prison. The police, the taskforce magistrates should ensure that this abnormally does not continue,” she stressed.