A 39-year-old, Osita Nwadiobi, who breathed an air of freedom recently in Lagos after five years in prison custody, said his incarceration had saved his life.
“Imprisonment saved my life, I am happy that I have been in prison custody since 2011.
“If not for the prison I would have died because I was moving with ‘wrong people’.
“I would have ended up as a ‘certified’ armed robber and be killed,’’ Nwadiobi, a robbery suspect, told newsmen.
Nwadiobi had been detained without trial since 2011 for alleged robbery.
The suspect and 15 other inmates were pardoned and released by the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade, during a visit to Ikoyi Prisons.
The release is pursuant to the provisions of Section 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody (Special Provisions) Act 2007, Laws of the Federation.
Another inmate, 56-year-old Dauda Adio, the oldest among the freed inmates, also told journalists that he had been imprisoned for five years without trial over alleged stealing.
He said:“I am very happy to be freed today as I have been in prison since 2010 for alleged stealing.’’
“I am going straight to my village in Oyo; I am no longer staying in Lagos as staying in Lagos has put me into trouble.’’
The chief judge said the release of the inmates was aimed at reducing overcrowding at the prison.
“It is paramount in order to alleviate the suffering of inmates.
“There is a recurring problem of awaiting- trial detainees in our prisons.
“To tackle this problem, I will perform the statutory right conferred upon me to release inmates who have spent unreasonable time in custody without trial,’’ Atilade said.
