Emmanuel Thomas l Friday, August 18, 2017
IKOYI, Lagos, Nigeria – Another set of underage prison inmates were on Thursday set free from Ikoyi Prison by the Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade under the amnesty programme of the state government.
This time, they were 43. Out of the 43 inmates, 12 were sent to Adigbe Forster Home, Pansheke, Ogun State “owing to the nature of the offences” for which they were held: Their offences bordered on rape, attempted murder, murder and armed robbery.
Two of the inmates, who were not remorseful during interview session, were however denied freedom by the Chief Judge. They had told the Chief Judge that they were in prison for selling and smoking Indian hemp.
The exercise was carried out as part of the efforts to rid the prisons in the state of underage inmates, protect the Child Rights Act and also decongest the institutions. Justice Atilade admonished the freed inmates to refrain from criminal activities henceforth and to be of good behaviour.
“I pronounce you free, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 1(1) of the Criminal Justice (Release from Custody) Act, 2007 as well as Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution. You are all hereby released from prison custody. Go and sin no more”, Atilade said. So far, a total of 185 underage inmates between 12 and 17 have been set free in the last 17 days.
Justice Atilade reiterated that the amnesty granted the inmates was to protect the Child Rights and also decongest the prison facilities. She admonished the pardoned inmates to ensure that they refrained from criminal activities henceforth, to be of good behaviour.
“The Lagos State Government has zero tolerance for children in prisons. Children have no business being in adult prisons,” she stressed. She however commended the activities of Head of Prison Ministry, Fountain of Life Church, Mrs. Dupe Olubamowo, whose petition triggered the series of visits to the prison institutions in the state.
Chairman of the Prison Decongestion Committee, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye said the issue of underage in prisons is at the heartbeat of Lagos Judiciary. Ipaye said that no child would be allowed remain in prison again stressing that the exercise would be a continuous one.
” The month of August has been a golden one in the calendar of the judiciary. We got alerted on the existence of children in prisons. On August 1, the chief judge released 80 children from Badagry Prison. Again on August 14, underage numbering 62 were freed from Kirikiri Women and Medium Security Prisons”.
She advised those freed to ensure they do not do things that would bring them back to prison. Head of the Family Courts, Justice Yetunde Idowu said no child below the age of 18 would be allowed to stay in prison again.
