Olowu calls for Nigerian government intervention on prison congestion, poor environment

Penpushing reports that the monarch made the appeal on Thursday while exchanging views with Ogun State Chief Judge, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, who paid him a courtesy visit in Owu Palace, Abeokuta, adding that he was appalled by the reports presented to him by some women Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) who visited major correctional centres in the state.

‘A state where nursing mothers and their babies are jointly remanded while only the mothers still awaiting trials or a melee of youth incarcerated in unhealthy environment while their cases are inchoate is, to say the least, unacceptable’ Olowu said.

Penpushing further reports that the royal father equally pleaded for a review of justice delivery system that would improve the welfare of inmates in correctional centres in the country, stating that statistics provided by the Correctional Services, summary of inmates’ population convicted for non-custodial measures as at March 18, 2024 revealed that total awaiting trials inmates are 54,067, out of which about 2,000 are females making it 69% of the total inmates.

The Chief Judge in her remarks assured that the judiciary and all stakeholders in justice delivery in the country are working assiduously to effect positive change to the welfare of inmates in correctional centres.

Penpushing also reports that Dipeolu explained that both Federal and State government are conversant with the state of affairs in Ogun State Correctional centres and that proactive measures are on course to ameliorate the situation.

The Chief Judge, however, pleaded with Nigerians to change their negative attitude towards non-custodial sentence whereby non-custodial convicts are not surety-bounded and often encouraged the convicts to abscond from the community service, thus disrupting a structured policy to decongest the correction centres in the country.

Penpushing reports that she gave kudos to the monarch for establishing a mediation centre in Owu Palace to resolve civil disputes among the communities, as a deliberate programme to sustain community relationship against the win-lose scenario of litigation in the court, assuring the traditional ruler that the Owu Mediation Centre would be accredited to compliment peace resolution scheme in the State.

‘I was excited when I read sometime that you were training some neutrals in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) spectrums in order to manage your mediation centre and I commend you for your initiative to assist us in the judiciary to decongest our dockets and improve justice delivery’, Dipeolu stated,

Penpushing further reports that earlier, Oba (Dr) Olufemi Ogunleye, Towulade Akinale, who is a chartered Mediator and Conciliator, presented some books on Mediation, titled “Changing the game in Horn of Africa” in commemoration of 87th birthday of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, written by him, to the Chief Judge for the Judicial Library and use of Mediators in the Multi-Door Court Houses in Ogun State.

Source: https://penpushing.com.ng/olowu-calls-for-nigerian-government-intervention-on-prison-congestion-poor-environment/