In the spirit of Yuletide, the chief judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Ekaette Obot, has freed 14 awaiting-trial inmates held behind bars at the Ikot Ekpene Correctional Centre, warning them to ‘go and sin no more.’
LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that most of the freed inmates were released on health grounds, having been inflicted with varying degrees of ailments while waiting for their days in court to no avail.
Obot, who freed the inmates after reviewing their case files, said they were asked to go on compassionate grounds as their cases, as presented by the doctor in-charge of the centre, Dr Christian Etukudo, were at the terminal stages.
The CJ expressed displeasure with the relevant authorities for keeping inmates for up to three years without being charged to court, and donated drugs and toiletries to the centre to help cater for the inmates’ sanitary and health conditions.
One pathetic case, our correspondent noted, was that of a 15-year-old orphan, who was sexually abused several times who escaped from her master but was later caught and charged for stealing, but remained incommunicado before freedom came her way as the CJ released her and directed that she be kept at government home facility for orphans “to be given proper care.”
Apart from the six inmates released on health grounds, Justice Obot, also released Emediong Friday, who had been in the centre for five years without being charged to court, holding that “this man had been in custody for five years without any charge against him and the prosecutor has not given any reason why he should remain in custody.
“He is hereby released unconditionally and advised to be of good behaviour.”
Others freed include Promise Udeme, Aniekan Okonna, Abraham Bassey, Emediong Ben, Nyakno Dickson and Nkereuwem Dan.
The controller, Nigeria Correctional Service, Akwa Ibom Command, Mr Julius Ezugwu, thanked the chief judge for the visit, which he said would go a long way to give succour to the inmates.
Ezugwu expressed gratitude to the chief judge for the drugs and toiletries donated to the centre and inmates and thanked the CJ for the facility tour of the prison formations in the state “to ensure that those that deserved mercy were shown mercy to decongest the centres.”
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