Chief judge of Delta State, Justice Tessy Diai has given financial assistance to an inmate David Olori diagnosed with liver and suspected kidney failure at the Kwale Custodial Centre.
In continuation of the 2023 first quarter jail delivery exercise, the chief judge directed the court chief registrar to arrange a three-month assistance to enable management of the prison to cater for Olori, 48, who has been in custody since December 2022 on the charge of murder.
The nurse of the centre said Olori was diagnosed with suspected kidney failure at the Central Hospital and required further investigation and treatment at Asaba Specialist Hospital.
The nurse told the chief judge that it had been financially difficult to take care of him in terms of changing pampers and other issues.
Justice Diai who was accompanied by Justices G. B. Briki-Okolosi, K. O. Okpu, F. O. Enemo and E. O. Odebala granted bail to Olori on health grounds, saying given his prevailing health condition, he was not strong enough to stand trial.
Reacting to the welcome address of the deputy controller of the custodial centre, the chief judge reiterated that custodial centres were under the exclusive list of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999 (as amended) and not the responsibility of the state.
Justice Diai said while it was not the constitutional responsibility of the state to maintain prisons, the state can nonetheless render assistance where necessary.
The chief judge, who reiterated that the purpose of the jail delivery exercise was not to throw the prisons gates open for inmates, applauded the state governor for prompt assistance to custodial centres across the state.
On the challenges experienced by custodial centres across the state in transporting inmates to courts due to lack of adequate vehicles, the number one judicial officer disclosed that she had drawn the attention of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to the issue of lack of utility vehicles to ease their work and the governor has made a promise to that effect.
While expressing confidence in the ability of the governor to make good his promises, Justice Diai recalled that he (governor) had been assisting the facilities and that the requests made by the deputy controller of Kwale centre in respect of renovation would be brought to the governor’s attention.
Earlier, the deputy controller of the Kwale Custodial Centre, Mr Udoka Chinaka, said the facility that was built in 1907 during the colonial era with capacity of 262 inmates has 307 inmates now.
He appealed to the state government for logistics support in the area of accommodation for staff, installation of solar light around perimeter walls and utility vehicles.
Chinaka equally implored judges and magistrates within the jurisdiction to always attend to custodial cases first during court sessions to enable prison wardens return the inmates to the facility on time.
