Bauchi Chief Judge Releases 14 Inmates

Bauchi State chief judge, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar, has released 14 awaiting-trial inmates at the Jama’are Correctional Centre and Bauchi Custodial Centre who have spent more than three years, or about five years.

Justice Rabi Umar, head of the Committee of Justice Administration, released the persons during the committee’s case review of the inmates that included the sick, mentally retarde, and whose case files could not be traced during the exercise.

The chief judge had, in the course of the exercise, particularly at Misau, Aware and Jama’are, expressed displeasure with the low turnout of judges and magistrates despite the weeklong notice served on them.

Umar warned that she would henceforth take drastic action against any judge or magistrate who absents himself/herself during her committee’s case review of inmates at any of the designated correctional centres.

This year’s first-quarter routine inmates’ cases review suffered poor turnout among judges and magistrates at Misau, Azare and Jama’are correctional centres, with less than 30 per cent attendance.

The presence of the judges and magistrates during the exercise graciously helps in highlighting cases and giving additional information on the inmates, thereby facilitating the smooth conduct of the exercise of justice dispensation

Justice Umar therefore directed the representative of the State Grand Khadi on the committee to compile a list of absentee judges and magistrates during the exercise for onward submission to her office for further action.

One of the freed inmates, Sani Sale, on behalf of his colleagues, thanked the committee and the chief judge in particular for their freedom, saying, “We are very grateful to God and the committee for its magnanimity to let us go free.”