Coronavirus: Buhari seeks speedy trial of cases and decongestion of prisons
- President Buhari is seeking urgent measures towards the speedy trial of cases and decongestion of prisons across the country
- The Nigerian leader made the call in a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad
- The president noted that this is in view of the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the country
Following the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has called for urgent measures towards the speedy trial of cases and decongestion of custodial centres in Nigeria.
Legit.ng gathered that the presidency in a statement through, Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity disclosed this on Wednesday, April 22.
The Nigerian leader in a letter to Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, the chief justice of Nigeria, called his attention to the United Nations' appeal to consciously reduce the population of prison inmates since physical distancing in such conditions is practically impossible.
According to Buhari, available records show the population of inmates at various custodial centres across the country is beyond their capacities and overcrowded.
Source: UGC
He added that in view of the present circumstances, this poses a threat to the health of the inmates and the public in general.
President Buhari called for attention to be on those inmates with health issues, elderly, low-risk offenders, etc.
The president said: “It has become imperative for Your Lordship to request State Chief Judges to embark on immediate visit to all custodial/correctional centres within their respective States to identify and release deserving inmates where that has not been done already.”
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Federal Capital Territory chief judge, Hon. Justice Ishaq Usman Bello, freed 70 prisoners from the Kuje correctional facility.
The move is part of the recommendations by the federal government to protect against the spread of coronavirus. Some of the freed detainees were those suffering from ill health and other terminal diseases.
Others are inmates that are 60 years and above, convicts serving three years and above but have less than 6months to serve, mentally unstable inmates and inmates with an option of fine not exceeding N50,000.
In other news, the director-general of the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu has revealed that President Buhari will make some difficult decisions on COVID-19 containment next week.
Ihekweazu made the statement while on a courtesy call to the Katsina state governor, Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari in his office at Government House Katsina.
His words: ”President Buhari will on Wednesday have a teleconference with the governors and there will be some difficult decisions to be made on how to restart the economy, especially on what to start and what not to start.”
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Source: Legit.ng
