181 Prisoners Pardoned By Rivers Chief Judge To Decongest Correctional Facilities

A total of a hundred and eighty one prisoners across various correctional Centres in Rivers state have been granted pardon by Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, in order to decongest the facilities.

The 181 pardoned inmates were also discharged and acquitted of their offences.

Amadi, while speaking at the close of the two-day decongestion exercise at the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre, said the exercise was a prelude to the 2022/2023 state legal year ceremony.

Justice Amadi was represented at the event by the deputy Chief Registrar in charge of litigation, Chief Magistrate Friday Poromon.

The Chief Judge said, “On November 22, I will embark on another goal delivery exercise as activities put together to herald the 2022/2023 legal year in the state.”

While addressing the freed inmates, he said the society contributed more to the congestion of the correctional centres.

“Members of the society have also contributed largely to what we have here. It is sad.

“Simple civil disputes, quarrel over boundaries; people rush to the police stations and insist that the police must bring very heavy charges.

“We also want to put members of the public on notice that the magistracy is no longer a place where you bring any charge from the police stations to get the charge rubber-stamped for the purpose of bringing people here,” he said.

He further said the state judiciary would ensure it tackled the challenges leading to delay in the speedy delivery of justice.