Review plan to pay N500m fine for release of inmates, Falana tells minister

Review plan to pay N500m fine for release of inmates, Falana tells minister

 Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo,
minister of interior, should review the plan to pay N500 million in fines to
ensure the release of 4,000 inmates from correctional facilities
nationwide. 

 

Speaking in a recent interview, Tunji-Ojo said 4,000 inmates
are in prison due to their inability to pay a “total of five hundred and
something million” in fines.

 

He assured that the fines would be cleared and the inmates
would be released in the next four weeks.

 

In a statement on Sunday, Falana said while the minister
deserves commendation for the initiative, the plan should be reviewed.

 

He said the N500 million earmarked for payment of fines
should instead, be spent on the welfare of inmates in the correctional centres
while alternative decongestion policies are considered.

 

“Specifically, the Minister should request the President and
the various state Governors to exercise their prerogative of mercy by granting
pardon to the 4,000 convicts on grounds of impecuniosity to facilitate their
immediate release from custody,” the statement reads.

 

“It is on record that the federal government had released
7,813 inmates from the Nigeria Correctional Centres across the country during
the outbreak of COVID-19 to curb the spread of the virus among inmates. The
convicts and awaiting trial inmates were granted amnesty and released on the
orders of former President Muhammadu Buhari as part of the prison decongestion
policy of the Federal Government.”

 

Falana added that the minister should petition the chief
justice of Nigeria and the chief judges of all states to inspect correctional
facilities and order the release of inmates whose detention is clearly unlawful
or those who have surpassed the maximum period of imprisonment for their
alleged offences, whether on remand or otherwise.

 

“However, it is pertinent to draw the attention of the
Interior Minister to the plight of the scores of inmates who are languishing in
the Ikoyi Correctional Centre as their case files were destroyed when the
Magistrate Court and High Court buildings were burnt during the #endsars
protests in October 2020,” the statement reads.

 

“As the nation marks the third year anniversary of the
#endsars protests, we urge the Interior Minister to ensure the immediate
release of such inmates since the State can no longer prosecute them as their
cases have been burnt.”

Source: Review plan to pay N500m fine for release of inmates, Falana tells minister

 - NigerianEye
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