The Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Iyabo Yerima, has pardoned 32 inmates at the Nigeria Correctional Service, Agodi Custodial Centre in Ibadan, as part of efforts to decongest the facility.
Some of the inmates were granted pardon on health and humanitarian grounds.
Represented by Justice Akinniyi Akintola, Justice Yerima explained that the move was in line with her statutory duty to visit correctional centers and grant clemency to inmates who had been detained longer than necessary.
She noted that the visit, originally scheduled for a few months earlier, had been delayed due to an outbreak of Mpox at the facility.
Advising the pardoned inmates to desist from crime, the Chief Judge emphasized the need for them to reintegrate positively into society.
The Controller of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Oyo State Command, Mr. Babafemi Jaiyeoba, represented by Assistant Controller of Corrections, Mrs. Sarah Bolorunduro, appealed for regular visits by the Chief Judge to further improve conditions at the facility.
The Officer-in-Charge of the Agodi Custodial Centre, Mr. Olayinka Olayiwola, urged Justice Yerima to consider separating criminal cases from civil matters at the magistrate courts, stating that their merger was a major factor contributing to congestion.
Chairman of the Prison Fellowship of Nigeria, Oyo State Chapter, Mr. Festus Sule, assured that his organization would continue to support the pardoned inmates through rehabilitation and reintegration programs.
