Rotimi Ojomoyela

No fewer than 31 inmates awaiting trial were released on the orders of the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Ayodeji Daramola on Thursday from the Federal Prison in Ado Ekiti.

Justice Daramola gave the order after reviewing the cases of the 295 awaiting trial inmates in detention during his visit to the prison.

22 of the inmates were released unconditionally by the Chief Judge, while the remaining 9 inmates were freed based on the advice of the State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) that they had no case to answer.

One other inmate was however granted bail by the Chief Judge Justice Daramola, who commended the authorities of the Ado Ekiti Prison for the clean environment and the neat appearance of inmates in the prison, however frowned at the what he referred to as the “ undue overcrowding” of the prison.

“It is clear that those who designed this prison did not take into consideration the fact that some convicted prisoners would serve their jail terms here. Or how does one explain the fact that the makeshift

Convicted Persons Section in the prison is made up of a small building with only three rooms which currently houses over 130 convicted inmates ?” Daramola stated

While stressing that prisons should be correctional facilities where

inmates are properly rehabilitated and reformed ,he therefore advised

the State Comptroller of Prisons, to look at the possibility of transferring some of the convicted inmates to serve their terms in prisons with larger facilities in neighboring states

The Chief Judge also lauded stakeholders in the judicial sector for their contributions to the dispensation of Justice in the State.