FCT Chief Judge sets 72 prisoners free
By Ikechukwu NNOCHIRI, Abuja
Reprieve has come the way of 72 inmates at the Suleja Prisons, in Niger State , following the decision of the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory , Justice Hassan Gunmi, to set them free from the various charges upon which their incarceration was predicated.
Justice Gunmi who ordered their release after carefully scrutinizing the substantive charges against them, further decried the fact that most of the inmates in the prison facility were ‘awaiting trials’, a situation he described as a great stumbling block against the prison decongestion efforts of the president Goodluck Jonathan led administration.
The CJ, equally took time to listen to various complaints from some of the prisoners and reassured them of the commitment of the FCT judiciary to put workable measures in place with a view to reducing the number of people languishing in prison custody without a valid charge preferred against them in court.
The Suleja prison falls within the Jurisdiction of the FCT judiciary, and is periodically inspected by the Chief Judge.
Among those released during the inspection tour includes one Mr. Joseph James who has been under incarceration since 2008 for allegedly making uncanny advances to a four-year old girl, while a lady identified as Mrs. Ifeyinwa Jideofor, who had been in prison custody for over a year with her apprentice son, Udoka over alleged conspiracy and fraud, were both set free by the Judge.
Other beneficiaries were, Sara Raji for cheating; Chukwunonso Nnaji, stealing; Ojenifa Aisha, defamation; Umar Usman for cheating and impersonation, Paul Bowie, stealing; Yahaya Lamido, Emeka Ume, Samson Gugu, Mohammed Abubakar, Danjuma Malawa, Gimba Haruna as well as 19 others who had barely 3-weeks to the expiration of their prison term.
Meantime, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, seized the opportunity of the prison visit to has offset fines of N20, 000, imposed on 36 other inmates who had remained in prison custody following their inability to raising the required money.
It would be recalled that Justice Gunmi had earlier visited the Kuje Prisons on June 15, where he equally freed 12 inmates.
