The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi has pardoned thirty-seven inmates who have been on awaiting trial list at the Port Harcourt Correctional Center for five years and above without proper prosecution.
Justice Chibuzor-Amadi gave the pardon during the jail delivery exercise at the Port Harcourt Correctional facility on Wednesday.
He called on all those involved in the administration of justice to collaborate to ensure the decongestion of prison.
The Chief Judge, however, accused the police of preferring frivolous charges and deliberately charging inmates to a court that has no jurisdiction without proper investigation on the matter.
He called on the Police to always search their conscience by ensuring proper investigation of a matter before charging the suspects.
Justice Chibuzor-AmadI used the opportunity to direct judges handling criminal matters including rape, cultism, kidnapping, and armed robbery to ensure the conclusion of such matters as enshrined in the new High Court procedure rules, just as he pleaded with the Ministry of Justice to focus on the direction.
In his words, “I am here to carry out a statutory function. And that function is, by section 34 subsection 1 of the administration of the criminal justice law of Rivers State which empowers the chief judge to visit the correctional centre to find out the number of inmates, how long they have stayed, know those who should be released and those who should not. That is why we are here.
“I have also laid out a practical direction to magistrates if very well followed in a criminal trial, the number of persons, suspects, and defendants that are sent here will be minimized.
“I gave practice direction on Monday to the High Court concerning criminal cases, financial crimes, rape Murder, and Kidnapping which makes it mandatory that a judge handling any of these matters whether you are transferred outside Port Harcourt or not will always come back to conclude the matter. If you are handling any of these cases stated and you are transferred out of Bori, that practice direction required that you will be going back to Bori to conclude the matter.”
While revealing that Port Harcourt Correctional Center has the highest number of inmates in West Africa, the Chief Judge assured that the judiciary under his watch will continue to ensure the decongestion of the facility.
“What informed me to do that is my predecessor in office obliged me to attend workshops hosted by International Redcross twice, and in those Conferences, I felt embarrassed when we were told that in the entire West African Subregion, Port Harcourt correctional centre has the highest number of inmates.
“And you know the type of message that sends to the whole world. In other words, in Port Harcourt, we have the highest number of criminals in Nigeria because the correctional centre is not meant for those who are law-abiding but for those who are not law-abiding.
“So on my assumption of office, I said I was going to work to see that there is a reduction in the inmate in this centre and I can see that we have been doing it,” he stated.
The Chief Judge, however, advised the released inmates to be better citizens as they return to society and never exhibit character that will bring them back to prison.
