LEGISLATION
THE Anambra State House of Assembly has called on the State Government to direct the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Anambra State to decongest Onitsha, Awka and Ekwulobia correctional centres through speedy prosecution of inmates case on awaiting trial.
The House resolution followed a motion by the honourable member representing Onitsha South 1 constituency, Mr. Fredrick Ezenwa and was seconded by Mr. Kingsley Udemezue (Idemili North) during plenary session on July 27 .
The speaker Mr. Somotochukwu Udeze who presided the plenary had moved for the resolution of the House while the lawmakers unanimously adopted it through voice votes.
Mr. Ezenwa said there are large population of our brothers and sisters who are languishing in the correctional centres located at Onitsha, Awka and Ekwulobia of Anambra State.
“Taking Onitsha correctional centre as a case study, the facility built to accommodate 600 inmates was holding a total of 1,017 inmates as at 9th of July, 2023 with a total number of 909 inmates awaiting trial.
“Those on awaiting trial list are presumed innocent until they are found guilty of the offenses they were charged with. It is disheartening to note that some of the inmates on awaiting trial have spent years in the facility without being heard.
“The future of the inmates on awaiting trial list are being toyed with. Again, that the overcrowded nature of the facilities keep the inmates vulnerable to contagious diseases.
“If accelerated hearing is effectively organized for the inmates, the facilities will be grossly decongested, the innocent shall be set free while the guilty shall be convicted”, Mr Ezenwa said.
The honourable member representing Anambra East, Mr. Obi Nweke said, “a lot of people are languishing in our correctional centres. The government should direct attorney general to ensure speedy prosecution of cases.”
Also, the honourable member representing Onitsha North1, Mr. Douglas Egbuna said, “the essence of criminal justice is not to punish the offender but to find the wrongs and make the culprit a better person in the society.
“The entire sense of criminal responsibility is rehabilitation, reorientation and reintegration. There is need to appoint more legal officers to the office of the attorney general to take care of these cases, vest files and write legal opinions.
“Appoint more police officers to take care of investigating criminal cases being complained at the police station. We need more court holds in the area of appointing judges to take care of congestion in our correctional centres and ensure speedy trails for accused persons”, Mr Egbuna said.
In his submission, Mr. Jude Ngobili (Ihiala 1) said this motion goes to the root of criminal justice system. The Attorney General (PG) has supreme powers in the area of criminal prosecution.
“Attorney General has the right to execute, continue or discontinue criminal prosecution. The AG has a role to play in decongesting the prison or accelerating hearing,” Mr. Ngobili submitted.
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July 29, 2023 @ 16:17 GMT|
Tags: Mr. Fredrick Ezenwa Mr. Kingsley Udemezue Mr. Obi Nweke
