Nigeria: Chief Justice to Release Prison Inmates With Orders From Buhari

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed, has received orders from the President to release prison inmates whose names appear on the awaiting trial list for at least six years.

The release of prison inmates in Nigeria is a way to repress overcrowding in correctional facilities and manage any spread of coronavirus.

In a letter sent to Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed, the President urges the Chief Justice to leverage the need for social distancing and reduce the numbers in the prisons. Prisoners who cases are unestablished, as well as the old and terminally ill, are likely going to be released.

A number of the correctional centres are presently housing inmates beyond the capacities as the President’s letter states. More so, “overcrowded facilities pose a potent threat to the health of the inmates and the public in general in view of the present circumstances.”

The letter further advises State Chief Judges to visit all state correctional centres immediately. They are to identify and issue a release to inmates due for trails, six months past.

With 117 today, the number is up 782 and no known cases in Nigeria came from a correctional facility.