Prison Decongestion: 118 Inmates Regain Freedom In Jimeta Prison

From Dan Garba , Yola
No fewer than 118 inmates awaiting trials at the Jimeta prison have been granted freedom by the Adamawa State Jail Delivery Committee headed by the state Chief Judge, Justices Ishaya Banu .
Justice Banu explained that the exercise was aimed at reviewing awaiting trial cases by the inmates, noting that 396 cases were reviewed where 85 were released on bail unconditionally and 33 inmates were released on bail with conditions.
This was part of the committee’s efforts to decongest the prisons which are overflowing with inmates
“As part of prerogative of mercy, the committee came to review cases of those awaiting trials and see that they get bail and also those to be set free be free. As you have seen today, some of the inmate released was based on long stay in the prison, some with health problems, we equally considered under-aged inmates”, Banu stated.
Banu however warned the released inmates to keep off criminal activities that led them to jail charging them to be of good character and useful to themselves and societies .
Those who got their freedom include 4 under-age boys, two cases of serious health challenge while others freed include cases of wandering, assault and theft of handsets while 33 of the 118 released were granted bail.
The Jimeta prison which was built in 1938 has a capacity for 300 inmates but before the open court visit of the CJ over 680 inmates were awaiting trials in various courts in the state.
One of the freed inmates who was charged with robbery Abdulmajeed Peter, a computer operator in Zing Local Government Area of Taraba state thanked God for his freedom
” What I saw and the experience I had in the last one year in prison and in the hands of police keeps me wondering if the Nigeria Police is your friend,” he said.
Delivering his keynote address on behalf of his Comptroller in charge of Adamawa Prisons command, Deputy Comptroller of Prisons, DCP Elson Bakari, commended the effort of the jail Delivery Committee, describing it as “first of its kind in the history of Jimeta Prisons”.