The Comptroller of Oyo State Correctional Services, Abdulraheem Salami, has emphasized the need for a collective effort from relevant stakeholders, including the government, to address the issue of overcrowding in correctional facilities in the state and nationwide.
Speaking at a workshop organized by the Law Hub Development and Advocacy Center in Ibadan, Salami called for swift dispensation of justice by judges and other stakeholders to decongest prison cells and prevent epidemics in the facilities. He expressed concern over the alarming congestion at both the Agodi Prison in Ibadan and the Abolongo Prison in Oyo Town.
Currently, the Agodi facility, designed to accommodate 400 inmates, houses more than 1,300 inmates. Salami appealed to human rights groups, the state Chief Judge, the state Attorney General, and others to collaborate in finding effective solutions to the overcrowding problem.
Salami revealed that the majority of inmates awaiting trial had been waiting for between two and five years. Additionally, a significant number of inmates had already served their jail terms but remained incarcerated due to their inability to pay restitution or compensation. Salami disclosed that the Correctional Services had reached out to the state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice to seek intervention in these cases.
Addressing the challenges of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) in the state, Justice Iyabo Yerima, the Chief Judge of Oyo State, acknowledged the importance of the law. She highlighted the time constraints for concluding criminal cases and the prescribed procedure for recording defendants’ confessional statements as key challenges.
Justice Munta Abimbola, the immediate past Chief Judge of Oyo State, discussed the role of the judiciary in implementing the ACJL. He noted that while a Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee had been established to oversee prison decongestion, the lack of adequate funding had hindered effective implementation of the law. Abimbola also mentioned the opposition faced by chief judges in exercising their prerogative of mercy, with some prosecuting authorities accusing them of releasing criminals back into society.
Mr S.O. Adeoye, the Director of Public Prosecution in the Oyo State Ministry of Justice, echoed the concern over prison congestion and identified challenges in implementing the ACJL, such as the shortage of personnel to prosecute cases promptly and insufficient funding. He recommended the establishment of special courts dedicated to criminal cases, increased funding for logistical needs, strengthening of the bail system, and recruitment of more personnel in the ministry.
The OC Legal, Funke Fawole, representing the Nigeria Police Force, called for amendments to the ACJL. She argued that the current law favored defendants more than prosecutors and the state, taking a more restorative approach rather than a retributive one.
In her contribution, Mrs Folasade Aladeniyi, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ibadan Branch, urged all stakeholders in the justice process to fulfill their roles diligently to improve the nation’s justice system.
Mr Joshua Dada, who represented the Executive Director of the Law Hub Development and Advocacy Center, Osita Chukwuma, called for the full implementation of the ACJL in Oyo State. Dada commended the state’s progress in implementing the law and assured that their center would provide technical support to update the law and enhance its implementation.
