Often, the inmates are left to wallow in prisons without trial

Fourth-two inmates across five prisons in Ogun State have regained freedom.

The Chief Judge of the state, Olatokunbo Olopade, directed their release.

The freed inmates were serving various jail terms in Ibara, Oba, Ilaro, Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu before they were set free.

The Chief Judge set free 15 inmates in Ilaro, five in Abeokuta, nine in Oba, nine in Ijebu and four in Sagamu prisons.

Three out of the 42 of the released inmates are women.

Ms. Olopade lamented the situation where inmates are kept under ‘awaiting trial’ for upward of three to five years.

Ms. Olopade chided the Investigating Unit of Legal Department of the Nigeria Police over the slow pace of investigating issues involving majority of the inmates.

she hinted that Magistrates complained about the un-cooperative attitudes of prosecuting officers who gave excuses ranging from issues of missing case files, no witnesses as some of the factors responsible for delay in judicial process and over congestion in all the prisons visited.

“It is disheartening to find out most cases are pending without judicial process. We have cases of no case file from the Police, no witnesses which has continued to delay justice. This is wickedness and am going to write and inform appropriate authorities in my report about the attitudes of some people in the cause of discharging their duties,” she said.