Justice Simeon Amadi, the Chief Judge of Rivers State, kicked off the state's jail delivery exercise on Thursday by releasing 21 prisoners from the Port Harcourt Correctional Center, including a man who had been imprisoned for 18 years without being given a chance to defend himself. 

This can be characterized as a case of justice delayed but not denied.  Gospel Nwibari, the released prisoner, was allegedly arrested when he was 14 years old in 2007 and had been held without a formal trial or access to legal counsel ever since.  

His narrative was a highlight of the exercise's introduction, which was based on the Rivers State Administration of Criminal Justice Law and sought to alleviate jail overcrowding and address long-standing delays in the judicial system.

According to Justice Amadi, many of the impacted prisoners lacked verifiable charges or case files.  He pointed out that justice must adhere to due process even when some were charged with heinous offenses like murder and armed robbery.

“Many of these inmates had no case files and no means to trace the charges against them. Continuing to detain them serves no justice purpose,” the chief judge said.

He went on to say that all releases were suggested by correctional authorities after thorough case evaluations and were subject to Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) certification.

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