Julius Ezugwu, the controller of Correctional Service in Akwa Ibom, has called for the decongestion of over 2,000 inmates.

According to Mr Ezugwu, all the prisons in Akwa Ibom have 2,851 inmates, of which only 451 were convicts, while 2,400 were awaiting trial.

The prison controller made the call during the Law Hub Development and Advocacy Centre workshop in Uyo on Wednesday.

Mr Ezugwu urged the justice system to come up with solutions to decongest the facilities in Akwa Ibom.

He said the large number of inmates awaiting trial was responsible for the overcrowded centres.

Mr Ezugwu said, “It is a problem as the centres were supposed to be a place to reform convicts and not take care of awaiting trial persons. We have a total of 2,851 inmates in the core facility of the command, that is Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Eket and Ikot Abasi Local Government Areas.

“Out of that number, we have about 451 as convicts; the rest are awaiting trial persons. They are products of the criminal justice administration and I want to say that the correctional service had been doing its own part creditable. We have more than is provided for by the Administration of Criminal Justice System (ACJS) in Akwa Ibom.”

The prison official explained that “every quarter, we ensure that we send our returns of awaiting trial persons” to the office of the attorney general of the state and the chief judge of Akwa Ibom.

“With this workshop, all the members of the ACJS will be well informed of how to go about the challenges of overcrowding in our facilities and also make justice accessible to all the teeming inmates.

“I enjoin you to look deep and help us ensure we will be able to deliver on our mandate of humane containment of this unit because when we have more than 80 per cent of inmates awaiting trial, it becomes a problem,” stated the prison controller.

Mr Ezugwu added, “The correctional service is for the reform of convicts and not awaiting trial persons. The situation where we have a predominance of awaiting trial persons would be a challenge to all the agencies in the criminal justice system. I don’t see the awaiting trial persons as our property.”

Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom, Justice Ekaette Obot, said the domestication of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act by the Criminal Justice Law of Akwa Ibom would have great impact on the criminal justice in the state.

Ms Obot, represented by Justice Edem Akpan, said for the functionality of the law, she had issued a practice direction for the relevant usage and operations of the law by all the stakeholders in the legal community.

She, however, stated that the inability to enforce some sections of the law, made it impossible to enjoy the benefits of the law as was intended, as such, she planned to inaugurate the administration of criminal justice monitoring committee.

“In acknowledgement of the fact of the inoperative sections of the criminal administration justice law, I have put every arrangement in place to inaugurate the monitoring committee on the October 17, to carry out the statutory role as specified in the law,” said Ms Obot.

He added, “It is for the reason for the inoperative sections of the law that has made this workshop very timely, to enhance effective application of all the sections of the law by the practitioners. I believe this workshop would diligently access how far Akwa Ibom has fared in implementing and also enhance the implementation of that law.”

(NAN)