Six inmates of Federal Prisons, Owerri, were yesterday set free by Imo State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Benjamin Ahanonu Njemanze, who was in the establishment on a jail delivery exercise.

The lucky inmates who regained their freedom after several years of incarceration without trial were Chinonso Okey Anumba, Uche Obioha, Okechukwu Ogbonna, Chinedu Onyenso, Daniel Ohaeri and Francis Obi.

In the case of Patrick Ajora, Justice Njemanze not only ordered his immediate transfer from Owerri to Aba Federal Prisons, but also ordered that the prison authority in Aba should send him to the Psychiatry Hospital for treatment, since he is mentally unstable.

He also made an order that Patrick should be set free and handed over to his relations as soon as he was certified mentally stable.

Njemanze was particularly irked that five of the inmates he set free had stayed for between 13 to 14 years in custody without prosecution and since the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, was not in possession of their case files, there was no possibility that they will ever be tried for their alleged offences.

Giving a brief narrative of how he was sent to prison, Chinonso Okey Anumba told the court that he only exchanged words with his step mother, adding that he was not only a talented musician but has also produced a musical demo, preparatory for release before his confinement in prison.

Justice Njemanze was not happy that if he had been convicted on the charge preferred against him, he would have served for just one year, pointing out that the little boy has spent three years without being sent to court to face trial.