A Rivers State activist, Eugene Abel has urged the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Adama Iyayi Laminkara, to make available the charge sheet of 33 prisoners released from Port Harcourt prisons on Wednesday.
The Chief Judge had released 33 inmates from Port Harcourt prisons during the jail delivery exercise.
Justice Adama Iyayi Laminkara said the exercise was aimed at releasing those who were unlawfully detained in prison.
She said that the exercise will also decongest the prison.
The Chief Judge also said that the jail delivery will continue early next year with Degema and Ahoada prisons.
“What we have done today is the efforts of the federal and state government to decongest the prisons. The Chief Judge of a state has the powers under the criminal justice act to come to the prison and see all those who have been unlawfully detained or those who have spent more than the number of years they would have if they had been taken to trial to release them. Some of them we grant them bail because their matters are on-going in courts” she said.
“So it is an effort we try to undertake quarterly or once in a year to try and decongest the prison. About 33 persons were discharged today while others were granted bail but yet to perform their bail conditions. Once they perfect their bail conditions they would be released” she stated.
However, Abel in a tweet via his official twitter handle said called for the sheet to be released for best practices.
Dear Chief Judge of Rivers State,
Can we ‘ve the details of the charges of the 33 inmates released from Prison for best practice