Keffi (Nasarawa State) – FCT Chief Judge, Justice Ishaq Bello, on Tuesday, discharged five inmates from Keffi prisons as part of initiatives to ensure speedy dispensation of justice.
Bello gave the order in Keffi when he paid a visit to the Keffi prisons.
He said some of the inmates were discharged based on the lack of diligent prosecution and overstay in prisons.
The chief judge ordered that every case bordering on murder and armed robbery should be transferred from magistrates’ courts to high courts to ensure speedy trials.
He decried unnecessary delay when cases of armed robbery and murder were being assigned to magistrates’ courts.
He said “we are combat ready to discharge justice with equity and fairness even with the challenges that are facing us.
“We will ensure that the end users of the court don’t encounter problems.”
Bello warned prosecutors against unnecessary delay in prosecution, adding that such cases would be handed over to the Attorney General for speedy trials.
He urged prison officials to keep accurate records of inmates in order to avoid unnecessary delay of trials.
He promised to facilitate the inauguration of the Nyanya/Karu axis judicial division to alleviate the sufferings of litigants from that axis.
Bello said prison officials should look into the issue of large number of accused persons being remanded in a particular prison to avoid over population.
The chief judge promised to ensure speedy delivery of justice through continued partnership with the prisons.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
Mr James Lander, the Deputy Controller of Prisons in Keffi Prisons, expressed satisfaction with the chief justice’s visit and
expressed the hope that the visits would continue.
He said “we are happy with the performances of judges in FCT courts; they always hear our cases whenever we bring inmates to the court.”
According to Lander, the prison facility is overstretched as it now accommodates 440 inmates instead of its 160 capacity.
The five inmates discharged by the chief judge are Precious Ugwu, Ifeanyi Ngige, Ifeanyi Nwameri, Haris Okwe and Emeka Okafor.
Emeka Okafor and Haris Okwe told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that they had been in the prisons for nine months for alleged theft without trial.
The chief judge said the two suspects were discharged because their case files were empty. (NAN)