The Committee for The Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) on Thursday urged Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to decongest the prisons in the state before he leaves office on May 29.
The Lagos State Chairman of CDHR, Mr Alex Omotehinse, made the plea when he led scores of rights activists on a peaceful procession/rally to the governor’s office, Alausa Secretariat, as part of activities to mark its 30th anniversary.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the group, as part of the activities, had also visited Ikoyi and Kirikiri Maximum/Medium Prisons on Wednesday to help in bailing indigent inmates.
Omotehinse, who said many inmates were victims of circumstances, urged the state government to intervene in the matter.
The rights activist also condemned the spate of extra judicial killings by the police, with reference to the recent killing of one Kolade Johnson in Mangoro area of Lagos State.
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According to him, most inmates are those who committed minor offences and whose cases are being delayed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who had to go through the files.
“Today is the Day 5 of our 30th Anniversary. CDHR was formed in 1989 when a unionist, now a lawyer, Mr Femi Aborishade, was detained under Decree 2 by the then government of Ibrahim Babangida.
“We have visited the prisons and we saw the deplorable conditions under which the inmates are being kept.
“Part of our discovery is that one of the prisons has 3000 inmates over its capacity. Many of the people in the prisons are victims of circumstances.
“We are challenging the police to respect human dignity. We want them to respect human rights. If they want to take people to court, they should do so.
“We want to appeal to Gov. Ambode to decongest the prisons, and the Attorney General of the state should also be up and doing,” he said.
Omotehinse said that the group was not encouraging building of more prisons, but a decongestion of the ones in Badagry, Kirikiri, Ikoyi and others.
“We have a lot of cases that are pending there. A file that is not up to 30 pages will be pending with the DPP for months,” he said.
On extra judicial killings, Omotehinse said that the trend should be condemned by all right thinking persons.
“Police officers who shot people to death went scot free in the past.
“But I am impressed that this time around, the State Commissioner of Police has paid a condolence visit to the family of the deceased.
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“It is only a court of competent jurisdiction that can sentence people to death. Some of the people in the prisons are made to sign their statements under duress,” he said.
NAN reports that the activists were later addressed by the Senior Special Adviser to the Gov. Ambode (SSA) on Civic Engagement, Mr Taiwo Aiyedun.
Aiyedun commended the members of the CDHR for their courage and for fighting for the common man, adding that the state government identified with their agitation.
Omotehinse later presented a letter and gift to Mr Aiyedun for onward transmission to Ambode, whom he commended for his various development projects across the state. (NAN)