No fewer than 33 more inmates of the Nigerian Custodial Centres in Edo Command have regained freedom as part of measures to decongest the centres toward curtailing the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Aminu Suleman, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the command and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Friday.
Suleman said that the inmates who were awaiting trial were granted freedom by Justice Esther Edigin, the Chief Judge of Edo.
He also said that those who regained their freedom were spread across the four custodial centres of the NCoS in the state.
Suleman said that specific considerations were given to inmates with complicated health challenges.
Others, he said, were inmates whose stay in custody had exceeded the terms to be served if they were to be convicted especially of minor offences, the aged and other presented cases.
He said that Edigin gave assurance that the various High Courts in the state would resume special sittings in order to consider the bail applications before them and give rulings on those cases due for judgement.
Suleman said that the Chief Judge said the decision was to ensure more release of inmates from the custodial centres.
Suleman further said that the various Superintendents In-Charge of the custodial centres thanked the Chief Judge and other members of the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee for the jail delivery exercise.
“The breakdown of this release of the inmates include: Medium Security Correctional Centre (MSCC), Oko, 14; Benin eight, Auchi seven and Ubiaja four.
“The Controller of Corrections in Edo, Mr Joseph Usendiah, expresses his appreciation to the Chief Judge and the Edo Government who earlier pardoned 173 serving inmates.
This, he said was for both exercises of the Jail Delivery and State Pardon “which have brought about the release of a grand total of 206 inmates from custody,” he said, (NAN)
