Ogun CJ frees 57 Prison Inmates, Rebukes Police

The Chief Judge of Ogun State, Olatokunbo Olopade, on Thursday pardoned 59 inmates of the five prisons in the state.

Mrs. Olopade had visited the prisons located at Ibara and Oba in Abeokuta as well as Ilaro, Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode during the tour which started on Wednesday.

She said the gesture was aimed at decongesting the prisons.


The News Agency of Nigeria reports that 15 inmates were released from Oba prisons, 14 in Ilaro, eight in Sagamu, 12 in Ijebu-Ode and 11 in Ibara.

Mrs. Olopade said those who regained freedom were imprisoned for various offences ranging from wandering, robbery, stealing, rape and other sundry criminal acts.

According to her, negligence of legal department of the Nigeria Police was responsible for the prolonged detention of many of the inmates.

She decried the attitude of police in duplicating case files of the inmates which she said was making efforts at releasing those unjustly detained difficult.

Mrs. Olopade said many inmates had been in prison for years because the police refused to duplicate their files or on the excuse of “no case file.’’

“Issues of missing case files, and the prison officers not bringing the inmates to court at the appropriate time are responsible for the delay in the judicial process.