Abia chief judge discharges 8 inmates, grants 6 others bail

Umuahia - Eight inmates of the Federal Prison in Umuahia have regained their freedom while six were granted bail by the Chief Judge of Abia, Justice Nnenna Otti. Otti, who granted the reliefs on Wednesday during a jail delivery, said that the exercise was part of efforts by the judiciary to bring justice to all manner of men. “Out of the 780 inmates, 745 are being held in custody without trial and most of these people have served out their term while in prison custody,” she said. Otti called for accelerated hearing and quick dispensation of justice in the case of those whose matters were already before a court of law. The Comptroller of Prisons in Abia, Ukwuori Kalu, said she was delighted that the exercise was a success. “Most of the inmates here are innocent and I am hopeful that with an exercise like this, they will regain their freedom,” she said. The media reports that the freed inmates who were between the ages of 25 and 75 had spent between two year and five years in custody without trial. The inmates were being held for offences ranging from murder, armed robbery to lesser ones such as stealing, malicious damage, and conspiracy, among others.