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‎Concerned by the need to address the issue of over-crowding in the correctional centres to ease the plight of inmates and aid the overall justice system, the Ogun State House of Assembly has passed a resolution imploring the State Chief Judge and the State Ministry of Justice to conduct a comprehensive review of cases in all categories of courts in the State.
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‎The passage of the resolution, sponsored by the Minority Leader, Lukman Adeleye, followed a motion moved by the Majority Leader, Yusuf Sherif, seconded by Hon. Lawal Samsideen at a Plenary presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Elemide, Oludaisi at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
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‎Opening debate on the motion leading to the passage of the resolution, Hon. Adeleye noted that “Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that Ogun State is one of the most congested in terms of inmates. The statistics further revealed that out of the 84,741 national inmates’ population, Ogun State tops the list of inmates of death row list (IoDR) with 568 (also confirmed by NCoS spokesperson).
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‎”These alarming figures may be due to the financial pressure on the federal government, industrialization, population, proximity, crime rates, judicial processes, and the administrative actions of state governments, particularly the signing of death warrants or approval of clemency requests”, he submitted
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‎Contributing, other members including Honourables Oluseun Adesanya, Babatunde Tella, Adebisi Oyedele and Damilola Soneye, urged the Chief Judge and State Ministry of Justice to step up measures to further identify cases that could be expedited and resolved through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, while reviewing bail applications and considering the release of inmates who met the necessary criteria.
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‎They appealed that all concerned stakeholders should fast-track the administrative process of examining cases of inmates who had served a significant portion of their sentences and consider possibilities for parole or pardon/clemency, while streamlining the judicial process to reduce delays and ensure timely justice dispensation.
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