TheNewsGuru

Tag: Inmates

  • Over 100 inmates escape in Congo prison break

    More than 100 inmates escaped from a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo during heavy rains, the jail’s Director, Mutanade Nyongoli, said on Tuesday.

    A total of 119 inmates broke out of the jail in Kabinda town in central Congo’s Lomami province late on Monday, said Nyongoli.

    He said that five others, who had nearly completed their sentences chose to stay in their cells.

    “A dozen of the escapees have already been caught by police,’’ Nyongoli said, adding that most of the prisoners had been in pre-trial detention.

    Prison breaks are not uncommon in Congo, with about 900 prisoners escaping an institution in North Kivu province in June after gunmen stormed the building.

    In a massive prison break in the capital Kinshasa in May, a religious sect attacked a jail and freed an estimated 4,000 inmates.

    Rights groups have reported terrible conditions in Congo’s prisons, with overcrowding as well as prolonged pretrial detention among the problems.

     

    dpa/NAN

  • 70 % of prison inmates are awaiting trial – Danbazau

    70 % of prison inmates are awaiting trial – Danbazau

    The Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, on Sunday said ‎that more than 70 per cent of inmates in Nigerian prisons were awaiting trial.

    Dambazau disclosed this when he visited Kano central prison alongside the state governor to mark this year’s Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

    The minister said the decision to visit the prison was to show to the inmates that the government was aware of their existence.‎

    ‎“‎”The high number of awaiting trial inmates is worrisome because the prisons are meant for convicts, but you find out at the end of the day that more than 70 percent of the people there are awaiting trial inmates,” he said.

    He said that some of the inmates were supposed to stay for few years but ended up staying for up to 15 years while awaiting trial.‎
    ‎‎‎Dambazau, however, commended the ‎state governor for giving a vast piece of land for the building of 3,000 capacity modern prison in the state.

    ‎Earlier, Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje‎ said he had secured the release of 50 inmates and also approved the release additional 500 inmates in prisons across the state.

    He said that the gesture was part of the activities to celebrate Eid-el Fitr celebration in the state.‎

    Ganduje said the beneficiaries were selected based on gravity of their offence and sign of reformation while in prison.

    He advised them to desist from acts that would warrant bringing them back to prison.

    He also said the state government would assist them with some money to enable them travel back to their communities.‎

  • Easter: Church pays fines of 25 inmates in Yola prison

    Easter: Church pays fines of 25 inmates in Yola prison

    The Catholic Diocese of Yola on Friday paid fines of 25 inmates from the Prison, as part of activities to mark the Easter celebration.

    Speaking at the ceremony, Bishop Stephen Mamza, said the church paid the fine amount and got them released.

    The church also presented foodstuff to the remaining inmates.

    Mamza urged Christians to demonstrate love through sharing with the needy and underprivileged such as prisoners and internally displaced persons during such festive periods.

    Mamza said that the role of the Church as body of Christ is to put smile in the lives of the hopeless one in the society.

    In his remarks at the occasion, the officer in charge of the prison, Mr Idi Abubakar lauded the church for the gesture and it’s sustain assistance to the inmates during such festive periods.

    Abubakar tasked those released to reciprocate the gesture by being responsible members of the society.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the church delegation also visited IDPs settlements where they distributed food items to the IDPs.

     

     

    NAN

  • NBA to provide free legal services to less-privileged inmates

    NBA to provide free legal services to less-privileged inmates

    The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Lafia branch, said it would provide free legal services to the less-privileged prison inmates in Nasarawa State.

    Mr Mudi Dikko, the association’s branch chairman, said this on Wednesday while addressing his members as part of activities to mark its 2016 Law Week in Lafia.

    He said the association had also visited Lafia Prison and assigned 51 counsel to inmates who did not have money to hire the services of lawyers.

    He said the step was necessitated by their desire to help in the quick dispensation of justice and to facilitate prisons’ decongestion in the state.

    “When we visited Lafia Prison, we discovered that so many inmates did not have money to hire the services of lawyers, thereby, delaying the cause of justice in respect to their cases,” he said.

    Dikko said the annual programme was to provide opportunities for members of the bar, bench and other judicial stakeholders to evaluate the happenings of the year.

    “What we are doing on this occasion is to bring all stakeholders together to look at the challenges affecting the judicial system and proffer workable solutions to them,” he said.

    He said that the judicial arm of government in the state was in control of its recurrent expenditure, but appealed to the state government for full financial autonomy.

    The NBA chairman said the branch would not support any judge or lawyer involved in corruption and urged those with corrupt tendencies to desist.

    Speaking, Shehu Usman, the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Justice, commended the bar for organising the programme adding that “it will help in improving the justice system in the state.’’

    He said the state government would increase the budgetary allocation of the judiciary and build a befitting judicial complex in 2017.