A total of 71 persons on Awaiting Trial row were granted bails during a two day intensive jail delivery exercise held on Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th March 2013 at the Enugu Prisons. 29 persons were discharged on very liberal conditions, 33 were granted bail on conditions that they pay various sums of money ranging from ten thousand to two hundred thousand naira and 9 persons were granted bail on condition they produce any of their relations to sign their bail bonds. The exercise, first in 2013 was held at the instance of Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action PRAWA’s whose interventions and series of advocacy activities propelled all the concerned stakeholders in the criminal justice sector in Enugu State to give consent to the idea.
On 8th February 2013, PRAWA facilitated an advocacy meeting between Nigerian Prisons Service and the Enugu State Judiciary. The meeting’s outcome include a promise by the Enugu State Chief Judge Honorable Justice Innocent Umezurike to make jail delivery exercise a regular feature of the State Judiciary’s oversight function in decongesting of prisons. The Chief Judge also agreed that courts sessions will be arranged inside the prisons as part of the exercise. It is barely a month after the advocacy meeting and the Chief Judge has honored his words and a jail delivery exercises in all prison formations in Enugu State has began.
The Ministry of Justice, the Police, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, the Nigeria Bar Association and various NGOs actively participated in the exercise led by the Chief Judge of Enugu State and other Judges of the Enugu State judiciary. The inmates were represented by lawyers from the Jail Delivery Committee facilitated by PRAWA. The Jail Delivery Committee is made up of volunteer lawyers from various NGOs and the Nigeria Bar Associations.

Bright and early on Monday 18th March, 2013, representatives of various organizations and agencies have gathered at the Enugu Prisons in preparation for the exercise. A very elaborate security accreditation exercise was conducted by the Nigerian Prisons Enugu Security before people were allowed into the prison yard. Among the agencies present at the exercise are: PRAWA the facilitating Organization, Nigerian Bar Association NBA, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria LACN, Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organization CAPIO, CIDJAP, Isaac Blessing Organization, Enugu State Prison Delivery Committee, Nigerian Prisons Service, Nigerian Police Force, Ministry of Justice and Enugu State Judiciary.

Speaking with stakeholders and pro bono lawyers appearing for various accused persons shortly before the exercise
began, the Executive Director PRAWA; Dr. Uju Agomoh, stressed that the authenticity and credibility of the exercise is much more important to her Organization than any other thing else. He implored all the parties to stick to the rules, follow the released list by the Nigerian Prisons of ATPs that need their case reviewed instead of pursuing their own cases at the exercise. She urged all the defending lawyers to give only honest information about their clients and not conceal fact either. “The credibility of this exercise is under focus and how often it will be allowed to take place depends largely on how clean this one appears” she said.
Declaring the exercise open, the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Honorable Justice Innocent Umezurike said that jail delivery is in line with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s routine prison decongestion exercise. “The prison is meant for those that have been tried and found guilty, but it is unfortunate that in Enugu Prisons, the Awaiting Trial Persons constitute very large percent of inmates which is an aberration. The ATPs are not adjudged guilty and are not allowed their freedom. This against all forms of human rights” he said. According to the Chief Judge, the exercise will focus on ATPs and that the lawyers will guide the exercise. He called on the lawyers to give maximum cooperation to the exercise by not hiding facts just to secure release for their clients.
The Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice of Enugu State Barrister Anthony Ani who led a high caliber team of Senior Legal Officers of the Ministry which include; Barrister [Mrs.] Chiemelie Onaga, the permanent Secretary and Solicitor General of the State and Director of Public Prosecution DPP; Barrister Emelibe Esq and others to the jail delivery exercise received the commendation of the highest sense from the Chief Judge. According to the Chief Judge, the Attorney General’s posture has shown that the exercise is important to all the agencies that matter.
He also commended the Nigerian Prisons Service Enugu for making the event a hitch free exercise, the Nigerian Bar Association for their pro bono services to the accused persons. The efforts of PRAWA especially that of its Executive Director, Dr. Uju Agomoh for her great concern about the welfare of prisoners and the manner she had followed up with all concerned agencies to make sure that the exercise took place also did not escape the admiration of the Chief Judge.
PRAWA also provided post released support services for the inmates which included counseling, provision of transportation money to released prisoners fund and other assistance that will enable the prisoners to settle back into their communities with ease. The event was covered by the Nigeria Television Authority.

Jail Delivery put simply is a prison decongestion mechanism or process. It is applied when the sovereign power by constitution or through express order directs judges to go to specific prisons for the purpose of investigation, trying and then determining all outstanding charges. The speeding-up of criminal justice project piloted in Enugu State in 2011 by Justice for All J4A of DFID and managed by PRAWA identified that the rising number of Awaiting Trial Persons in Enugu Prisons is both economic and human right burden on the State. The project since discovering that about 85% of prison inmates in Enugu prisons are ATPS has been pursuing various interventions in six action areas to curb the ugly trend.