The Akwa Ibom Chief Judge, Justice Ekaette Obot, has expressed fears on the over-bloated population of inmates in various Correctional Centres in the state, noting the likelihood of jail break should urgent measures were not taken to avert the impending crises.
Mrs. Obot, while taking stock of her shocking finds at the conclusion of her tour of prison formations in Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Ikot Abasi and Eket Local Government Areas, blamed the problem on lack of expediency and cumbersome process in the administration of justice on suspects.
For instance, Justice Obot, who freed no fewer than 21 inmates across the formations, frowned at the situation in the Uyo Correctional Centre, which she recalled, was established 80 years ago with the carrying capacity of 163, but currently holds 1,558 inmates.
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Besides, she noted that the Eket Correctional Centre, designed for 123 inmates, now plays host to 370, a situation she described as appalling and detrimental to the prison reforms, which gave rise to the new name of Correctional Centre.
She expressed dismay at the congestions, which she noted, has impacted negatively on the welfare of the inmates as well as the prison officials.
Therefore, Justice Obot, charged the Nigerian Correctional Service to “uphold the tenet of Correction, not only in name change, but also in practice by attaching skills acquisition that will impact positively on the lives of the inmates so as to enhance their full integration into the society.”
“It is not enough for the Federal Government to have changed the name from the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) to Nigeria Correctional Centre (NCC) when actually the environment remains a prison yard,” Obot stressed, even as she promised to present the challenges to government and other relevant agencies.
She granted pardon to 21 inmates including nine in Uyo, six in Ikot Abasi, four in Ikot Ekpene and two in Eket Local Government Areas, explaining that the gesture became necessary as their case files were declared missing by their prosecutors.
“It would not be in the interest of justice for the inmates to continue to remain in prison custody as their case files could not be found, and have not been taken to Court for trial,” she explained, adding that “others were released after spending sufficient years in custody more than the number of years provided by law if they were convicted for the offenses they were alleged to have committed.”
