The Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Ekaete .F. Obot, has ordered the release of 63 inmates from Uyo Custodial Centre, bringing the total number freed this year to 100.
The releases followed a comprehensive tour of correctional facilities across the state, with 37 inmates discharged from Ikot Abasi, Eket, and Ikot Ekpene centres last week.
A statement from the judiciary press unit on Wednesday, March 25, said the 63 inmates were freed after a thorough review of their cases involving input from the Director of Public Prosecution, court clerks, and medical personnel.
Of the number, 24 were discharged on special grounds while 39 received pardons on compassionate grounds, including cases involving missing files, trumped-up charges, and failure to prosecute diligently.
Twenty inmates with serious health conditions were among those released on special grounds. One of them, Godwin Francis Etim, who is battling tuberculosis, was referred to the Infectious Disease Hospital in Ikot Ekpene for treatment.
A pregnant inmate in her final trimester with medical complications beyond the facility’s capacity was also freed.
The case of Magdalene Bassey Edet highlighted the importance of regular prison inspections. According to the statement, she had been convicted by two different courts on separate charges arising from the same offence.
After completing a 10-year sentence, she was serving an additional two-year term for the same matter, having been convicted by another court while still in custody.
The chief judge acknowledged reports of her good conduct and placed her on probation for the remaining two years, requiring her to report every three months.
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“Go and sin no more and don’t indulge in acts that will bring you back here,” the chief judge warned.
Four inmates were released because their cases could not proceed due to missing files, reportedly linked to a prosecutor who had been absent for about three years due to prolonged illness.
Six others were found to have been wrongfully charged. One such case involved Idara Christopher Kingsley, who had been detained in place of her husband after reporting a machete assault against herself. Her husband was wanted in connection with a family dispute, but she was arrested instead.
The chief judge urged all freed inmates to stay out of trouble.
“I urge you all to maintain good conduct and not to indulge in criminal activities that will bring you back here,” she added.
She criticised police officers who obtain remand orders but abandon cases without returning to court after the required 21 days. She also advised magistrates to take proactive steps by setting dates to strike out such cases and notifying relevant parties.
The Officer in Charge of the facility, DCC Ezekiel Inyang, welcomed the visit, describing it as timely given the severe overcrowding at the centre.
He disclosed that the facility, built in 1912, currently holds over 1,600 inmates, far exceeding its capacity.
Inyang also recounted the impact of a windstorm accompanied by heavy rainfall on Tuesday, February 17, which damaged three cell blocks and brought down part of the perimeter fence. He said there were no casualties or escapes.