No fewer than 21 awaiting trial inmates in four prisons in Edo State have been granted freedom by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Cromwell Idahosa.

Justice Idahosa discharged and acquitted six in Oko prison, five in Benin prisons, one in Ubiaja and nine in Auchi prison on account of “No case to answer”, “missing files,” “Justice delay”, “ill- health,” “remanded in prison custody in error,” among other reasons.

The six awaiting trial inmates freed at Oko prison were Badamusi Sanni, John Sunday, Paul Edokpolor, Ndubisi Okoh, Kingsley Bassey and Friday Edobor, while Solomon Eghomaide, MairoOkoro, Ehis Alemen, Eserinone-Julius Edafe, and Ovbokhan Ehinoma were discharged in Benin prison.

Others released, including three women in Auchi, were Gladys Momodu, Rabiatu Yusuf, Idowu Omueti, ThankGod Momodu, Abdul Musa, Ibrahim Jimoh, Ramat Dada, Dauda Suleman, Godwin Stephen and Endurance Akpede in Ubiaja.

The Chief Judge ordered that one of the freed inmates, Badamusi Sanni, a Nigerien, who had spent five years and six months in prison custody on a charge of unlawful kidnap, should be handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for deportation.

It was gathered that one of the inmates, Paul Edokpolor, who spent 16 years and eight months in jail, was set free due to a health challenge.

Justice Cromwell however, warned the defence counsel against series of adjournment without genuine reasons when a state counsel, Adodo Denis, observed that most of delays in court proceedings emanated from the defense counsel.

The Chief Judge said, “Stop unnecessary adjournment that will lead to delay of justice, your duty as a lawyer is to do your best while defending your client and not to win at all course.”

The Deputy Controllers of Oko and Sapele road prisons in Benin, Friday Ovie and Solomon Airiohuodion, had earlier decried the cost of inmates’ treatment in the state hospital and urged the Commissioner for Health consider a waiver for the indigent inmates.

* Culled from Punch Newspaper