From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Ogun State Chief Judge Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu has granted freedom to 67 inmates from correctional facilities in Sagamu (35), Oba (20), and Ibara, Abeokuta (12) as part of a jail delivery programme to decongest custodial centres.
Speaking to reporters at the Oba Custodial Centre on Thursday, May 15, Justice Dipeolu described the exercise as a periodic review mandated by her office. She explained that the inmates were released on health or compassionate grounds, with some languishing in custody since 2017, 2019, or 2020 due to stalled prosecutions or missing case files.
“There is no point keeping them here and feeding them with taxpayers’ money,” she said, urging them to reintegrate and contribute positively to society.
Dipeolu warned the freed inmates to shun crime, noting their records are retained. “They should be of good behaviour and never be involved in anything that will bring them back because they might not be lucky again,” she stated.
The Controller of the Nigeria Correctional Service in Ogun, Abioye Adesina, commended the CJ’s humanitarian gesture, noting it addresses overcrowding. He revealed that the inmates received vocational training during incarceration and encouraged them to use these skills to boost Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
This initiative aligns with similar efforts nationwide, such as the release of 195 inmates in Kano (April) and 685 across Nigeria in 2024 under the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy, reflecting ongoing prison decongestion drives.