From Nosa Akenzua, Asaba.
No fewer than forty seven suspected cancer inmates were on Monday set free at Ogwashi Uku prisons by the Delta State Chief Judge, Justice Marshall Umukoro.
Justice Umukoro who was on his Prisons’ visitation across the state, also set free twenty two others alleged to be with strange ailments, and were subsequently set free to be admitted into hospitals for treatment.
Justice Umukoro visibly angry with unnecessary delay of investigation by the Police, questioned the Police on the rationale behind the continued detention of suspects who cannot stand trial due to ill health, stating that such suspects constitute unnecessary financial burden to the state.
He said that the released forty seven inmates were among the 561 remand warrants reviewed from two prisons, pointing out that their release was predicated on ill health, unjustifiable long detention in prison custody and want of diligent prosecution, among others.
He said,” the purpose of the Prison visit is to reiterate government desire to ensure that persons awaiting trail do not spend their whole lives in prison custody, we must ensure that those here in the prison are remanded by courts of competent jurisdiction having allegedly committed an offence known to law.
“We shall also look at the health of the inmates, and know whether they can stand trails or not because it’s the living that will undergo trails,
“We should also look at the ages of the inmates because we don’t want to support or be part of the process where juveniles are brought to prisons,” he added.
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