Chief Judge of Ogun State, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, has released 20 inmates unconditional during the year quarterly jail delivery exercise at the three Nigeria Correctional Service across the three senatorial districts of the state.
She said that the objectives of the exercise was to de-congest the correctional service in the state, as well as ensure justice, urging the released prisoners to endeavor to reform themselves and refrain from crime and criminality.
According to her; “I encourage those released today and those those released in previous exercise to ensure that they reform themselves and stay away from all forms of criminality.
“See your release as second chance to be better and reformed individuals to yourselves and society, today’s jail delivery is not for convicted inmates or inmates whose cases are pending in court but those detained above their jail term without trial”.
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Majority of those granted amnesty by the Chief Judge had reportedly spent eight to nine years in those correctional service without any trial, while the case file of some of them was nowhere to be found.
“Three were released at Ijebu-Ode Correctional Service, three were also released in Sagamu Correctional Service, five were granted amnesty in Ilaro, Yewa South Local government, while six and four were granted amnesty at Oba, Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area and Ibara Correctional Service, respectively.”
Earlier, in his welcome address, the state’s Deputy Controller of Correctional Centre, Mr. Victor Abolade Benson, represented by his deputy in charge of Ibara Correctional Service, Mr. Onokhowomomo Godwin, urged the state government to initiate more correctional centres so as to decongest the centres across the state, noting that 510 was the capacity of the correctional centre but it has 1,189 inmates now.
He added that the Ilaro Correctional centre has grown over the years from an initial capacity of 126 inmates to an all-time high at 532 inmates this month, saying that out of 526 inmates, only 167 are convicted persons while the remaining 359 are Awaiting Trial Persons (ATPs) from 17 different courts scattered across seven Local Government Areas of the state.
He appreciated Justice Dipeolu for her passionate interest in the quick dispensation of justice and quarterly jail delivery exercise which aimed at decongesting the correctional centres across the state.
