The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, on Tuesday, the 13th of January, 2026, authorised the freedom of 18 inmates and ordered the deportation of two Chadian nationals who were also discharged from custody.
The two foreigners, identified as Musa Abubakar and Yusuf Aliu, were among those released during the 2026 correctional facilities decongestion exercise conducted across the state.
Justice Alogba directed that Abubakar and Aliu be immediately transferred to the Lagos State Controller of the Nigeria Immigration Service for repatriation to Chad, citing the circumstances surrounding their offences.
The directive was issued at the Ogba Magistrates’ Court during a special sitting convened to review cases of inmates eligible for release from the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The exercise covered inmates drawn from the Borstal Home, Adigbe, the female correctional centre, as well as medium and maximum security custodial centres within Lagos State.
According to the chief judge, all the inmates granted freedom were found to have satisfied the conditions required for their release.
While addressing the beneficiaries, Alogba urged them to embrace a new path and make meaningful changes in their lives to ensure successful reintegration into society.
“This is an opportunity for you to change because you will not be this lucky next time if you commit another offence,” he said.
Earlier in the session, Abubakar informed the court that he had remained in detention since 2018 without trial and admitted to robbing a victim with a knife.
He told the court that no family member was present but noted that he resided around Ago Palace Way in Lagos and could find his way home. The request was, however, declined by the chief judge, who insisted on his deportation.
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“I want to release you, but I order that you should be deported back to Chad.
“I hereby release you to the Controller of Immigration, Lagos State, for immediate deportation,” Alogba said.
Aliu, on his part, confessed to stealing money from his victim but denied using any weapon during the act.
At the end of the exercise, a total of 14 male and four female inmates were released, while several others were denied freedom after their cases were reviewed.
Earlier, the Controller of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Lagos State Command, Mr Daramola George, revealed that correctional facilities in the state currently house over 8,000 inmates, despite having a total capacity of fewer than 4,000.