ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Friday, March 5, 2021
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Kirikiri Medium Security Prison

Kirikiri Medium Security Prison

Six Nigerian drug offenders pardoned in Thailand finally freed in Nigeria

The inmates, who finally got their freedom, should have been released in 2019

byAlfred Olufemi
December 27, 2020
2 min read
ADVERTISEMENT

Six Nigerian inmates pardoned in Thailand but still held in Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Lagos, have been set free.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that eight inmates repatriated from Thailand to complete their prison terms at home are being held in the facility, over a year beyond their release dates.

The inmates include: Wasiu Amusan, Napoleon Mba, Obi Titus, Gloria Ogbonna, Henry Azukaeme, Okpala Chukwubike, Kennedy Tanya and Yakubu Yauza.

Documents obtained showed that not less than six of them, who were imprisoned for drug-related offences, were granted royal pardon and their sentences commuted by the Thai monarch, Maha Vajiralongkorn, to one-sixth of their original sentence.

Going by the controversial prisoner transfer treaty between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Thailand and the royal pardon by the Thai King, these individuals should have been released by 2019.

According to the treaty, though inmates are transferred to their home country to serve out their sentence, they are still under the “exclusive jurisdiction” of the transferring country.

While the Correctional Service (NCS) authorities claimed they were not due to be released, human rights lawyer and activist, Femi Falana, has continually prevailed upon the Nigerian government in letters, demanding their freedom.

Femi Falana (SAN)

He, however, announced that they have been freed in a statement sent to this paper on Sunday evening.

RelatedNews

Nigerian Army debunks troops desertion reports

Kwara governor imposes curfew, deploys soldiers to quell renewed Offa/Erin-Ile clash

FRSC operatives flee office as Offa/Erin-Ile communal clash flares again

Man arrested for unleashing dogs on police officers

According to Mr Falana, the six inmates were freed on December 26, Boxing Day.

Recounting the efforts taken to secure their release, Mr Falana stated that on July 2, 2020, his law firm requested the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Godfrey Onyeama, to direct the Nigerian embassy in Thailand to furnish them with the warrant for the release of the convicts.

“The Minister did and the Embassy procured and sent 6 warrants to Nigeria. The warrants were promptly forwarded to us.

“On August 25, we wrote to the Honourable Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola urging him to direct the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre to release the convicts from custody. As the request was subjected to bureaucratic hiccup we were compelled to file 6 applications at the federal high court for the immediate and unconstitutional release of the convicts. Even though the case has been adjourned to January 25, 2021 for definite hearing, the Minister of Interior granted our request last week for the release of the convicts. Accordingly, they were released on December 26, 2020. We are pursuing the case of the remaining two convicts.

Dangote adbanner 728x90_2 (1)

”It is unfortunate that the convicts have been detained illegally since 2017 when the Thai King granted them amnesty. A few months ago, we also secured the release of an awaiting trial inmate who was charged with armed robbery and abandoned in the same Correctional Centre. The legal advice rendered by the Attorney-General of Lagos State to the effect that he had no case to answer received by the police 6 years earlier was not transmitted to the Magistrate Court that had remanded him in prison custody.”

He further noted that the two cases call for a comprehensive audit of all inmates in the nation’s correctional centres.

“For instance, 65 convicted soldiers who have met the conditions outlined in the Presidential Amnesty granted to certain categories of prison inmates in April 2020 are still languishing in prison custody. They were 66 of them but one of them has been released from prison custody. No reason has been adduced by the prison authorities for not releasing the others,” he said.

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket

Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: To advertise here . Call Willie +2347088095401...



JOIN THE CONVERSATION

  • Disqus (4)
premiumtimes



PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Kidnapped Kaduna PFN chairman, wife freed

Next Post

Ghana opposition party to petition against election results this week

Alfred Olufemi

Alfred Olufemi

More News

ARMY: Nigerian Soldiers (Army) on duty. [PHOTO CREDIT: The Guardian]

Nigerian Army debunks troops desertion reports

March 4, 2021
COVID-19: WAHO donates medical supplies to Nigeria

COVID-19: WAHO donates medical supplies to Nigeria

March 4, 2021
Officials of Nigeria Immigration Service (Photo Credit: Immigration.gov.ng)

Insecurity: Nigeria to begin real time monitoring of immigrants at borders

March 4, 2021
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Lagos govt, Chinese firm sign agreement to produce brand new cars

March 4, 2021
A convoy of FRSC Officials used to illustrate the story

FRSC operatives flee office as Offa/Erin-Ile communal clash flares again

March 4, 2021
Abdulrasheed maina

Maina’s witness accuses EFCC of mismanaging 222 recovered assets

March 4, 2021
Next Post
John Dramani Mahama [PHOTO CREDIT: John Mahama]

Ghana opposition party to petition against election results this week

Semi Ajayi (Photo Credit: @WestBrom)

EPL: Semi Ajayi denies Liverpool victory with first Premier League goal

Discussion about this post

Search

#EndSARS: Latest Updates




Polaris Bank


JAIZ Ad


NITDA Ad





Glo Ad

Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,629,094 other subscribers.

Advertisement






netherland biz school Advert



Zenith Advert

ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • Opinion
  • PT Hausa
  • The Membership Club
  • Dubawa
    • Dubawa NG
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.