By Vincent Ujumadu

Anambra Chief Judge, Justice Peter Umeadi, yesterday, granted bail to 13 Awaiting Trail Inmates, ATI, at the Onitsha medium prison as part of his annual prison visitation.

Ten of the released inmates  were males, while three were females. Their offences ranged from alleged murder and conspiracy, juvenile offence, robbery, to attempted kidnap.

The Chief Judge directed that one Naomi Etim, aged 23, who hailed from Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State, and has been in detention  for three years and eight months for alleged sale of her son, should be taken to her village by her counsel and the prison authorities and handed over to the head of her clan due to her mental state.

Also released on bail was 36- year -old Ifeoma Onwuaghalu, who had been in detention for four years for alleged murder of her husband during a brawl.

Her late husband’s family was said to have forgiven her and had applied to discontinue the matter.

Others granted bail were Onyemachi Obinweaku, detained when she was 15 years  for abandoning her two months old baby, and Ifeanyi Okeke, who was detained after the person he fought with died two weeks after.

The Chief Judge said the prison visit was an interventionist measure and not to clear all the cases, adding that it was to enable him have a feel of  the inmates and how the wheel of justice machinery had been running.

He lamented a situation where those concerned with justice administration brought suspects to court without adequate information on them.

Anambra State Controller of Prisons, Mr. Oladipo Yusuf, canvassed regular visits by  Chief Judges in the country to the prisons to address many cases that had been left unattended.