Oyo judiciary to takeoff bondsmen system, as CJ declares serious issue of prison congestion

This Oyo State Judiciary is set to take-off the bondmen system in Oyo State to address the myriad challenges affecting stakeholders and agencies in the administration which worsens the already prevalent congestion of correctional custodial centres across the state.

This was revealed on Thursday during the meeting of the Oyo State Administration of Criminal Justice Law Monitoring Committee, led by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Munta Abimbola, where salient issues including bordering on how to decongest custodial centres without undermining the course of justice.

In his opening address at the meeting, Justice Abimbola declared that reports from custodial centres across the state indicate that there is serious congestion and it has become an issue of serious concern, adding that as a body saddled with the responsibility of decongesting custodial centres, the committee must rub minds on how to quickly decongest the centres in Oyo State without jeopardizing the tenets of justice delivery.

Justice Abimbola stated that while it is the statutory duty of the committee to ensure decongestion of custodial centres, care should be taken in discharging this statutory duty against the backdrop of rising incidents of insecurity and concerns by the public that criminals are released into the society during prison decongestion exercises.

He cited examples of people who benefitted from the privilege of the prerogative during prison decongestion exercises and immediately they get outside, commit the same offence and are re-arrested, reiterating that people with the orientation of living in crime should not be released to cause harm to the society.

In his report, the Iseyin Division of the state’s magistracy complained that immediately defendants’ are granted bail, they disappear with their sureties and often their addresses are untraceable, making it a challenge to grant bail. The division requested the assistance of investigating police officers, to help in verifying addresses and asked for the provision of interpreters as most defendants are Fulani men, who though speaks Yoruba outside but insist before the court that they do not understand Yoruba or English language, they also call on lawyers to offer pro bono services to defendants.

To address this issue, Justice Abimbola, said when the Bondsmen System takes off in Oyo State, the challenge of defendants or sureties disappearing will be curbed as the system will regulate the common practice of old professional and paid sureties who are usually untraceable. He asked the committee saddled with the responsibility of spearheading the takeoff of the system to give its report so that the team will have an understanding of how the system works.

The committee’s report given by A. A. Adebisi Esq, the Deputy Chief Registrar in charge of law reporting, said “there is a need to regulate the old system and streamline the practice which gives room for vices like the use of fake identity cards, home and office addresses, fake property documents and false representations, defrauding the defendant as well as aiding and abetting defendant to jump bail among other issues.

The Bondmen System will help with the decongestion of custodial centres as more people will be able to meet their bail conditions, ensure the appearance of defendants in court, obviate the need for verification of sureties and defendant’s addresses as no one can engage in the business without being duly registered and licensed bonds person must have been subjected to scrutiny before being issued a license, adding that it will also be an additional source of income for the court and government,” he said.

He concluded that the Bondsmen System if properly administered will be impactful on the general administration of the criminal justice system of the state especially the surety/bail system which has a direct effect on the decongestion of custodial centres.

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