In a move aimed at decongesting correctional centres and ensuring justice for wrongly incarcerated individuals, the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, has granted freedom to 30 inmates awaiting trial at custodial facilities in Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The mass release took place during an official visit to the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Keffi, where Justice Baba-Yusuf personally reviewed the cases of inmates who, according to him, had no business being in detention.
“We have decided to give hope to the hopeless,”; Justice Baba-Yusuf told journalists. “There are many people who should not be behind bars. This visit is to ensure that people who have no legal reason to be here are not kept in custody, not even for one day.”;
The Chief Judge stated that this initiative will not be a one-time effort. He disclosed that similar visits are planned for other custodial centres including Kuje and Suleja, with the goal of correcting injustices and accelerating the judicial process.
Baba-Yusuf attributed the overpopulation in custodial centres to several factors, including delays by magistrates, police inefficiencies, and logistical challenges faced by correctional authorities in transporting inmates to court.
“These challenges often result in individuals being unjustly held for extended periods.
With better support and facilities, the justice system can move faster and ensure that only those who deserve to be in custody are kept behind bars,”; he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), Mrs. Lucy Abagi, who accompanied the Chief Judge, praised the gesture, and stressed the urgent need to differentiate between civil matters and criminal offences.
“We found people who had been granted bail but couldn’t afford as little as N20,000,”; Abagi noted. “We saw women detained due to gender-based violence — some were punished simply for saying ‘no’ to abuse.”;
She urged judicial officers across Nigeria to emulate the FCT Chief Judge and take similar steps in addressing prison congestion nationwide.
“Only those convicted of severe crimes like armed robbery or terrorism should be in correctional centres,”; Abagi added. “Civil cases should be resolved outside the prison system.”;
In a separate interview, Mrs. Chioma Onyenucheya-Uko, Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Abuja Branch, criticized the misuse of legal power in the incarceration of some women awaiting trial.
“Many of these women have not been convicted. They were simply awaiting trial, often due to abuse of power by those with influence,”; she said.
“FIDA is committed to enlightening women about their legal rights and offering free legal assistance when needed.”;
Earlier in the visit, the Controller of the Keffi Medium Security Custodial Centre, Mr. Yau Ibrahim, welcomed the Chief Judge and commended the initiative.
“Our greatest challenge is the high number of awaiting-trial inmates. Decongesting the centres will help us manage the facilities more effectively,”; he said.
