Honourable Fred Ezenwa, the lawmaker representing Onitsha-South 1 state constituency in the 8th legislature of Anambra State, has decried the devastating and very deplorable conditions of Anambra citizens remanded at Onitsha, Ekwulobia and Awka correctional centres respectively.

Ezenwa who made this known on the floor of the House of Assembly during plenary lamented that Onitsha prisons whose maximum capacity is 600 inmates are holding about 1017 inmates, adding that out of the population, 909 inmates were on awaiting trial list.

Ezenwa equally disclosed that out of the 909 inmates awaiting trial, 858 were males while 51 inmates were females, saying that it was a horrible sight to behold.

The lawmaker said he accompanied a friend of his who is a priest to Onitsha prisons to visit the facility and extend benevolence to the inmates but according to him, what he saw at the facility was baffling as young men and women were languishing in jail without being taken to court for trial.

The lawmaker said, “I joined a friend, a priest of God who decided to celebrate his birthday anniversary at Onitsha correctional centre. I was surprised to witness that there is a different world from our earthly abode because what I saw there that day baffled me.

“As a matter of fact, a correctional centre meant to hold at its maximum capacity a total number of 600 inmates is holding 1,017 inmates. Out of this population, 909 inmates were on awaiting trial list. Out of that 909 inmates, 858 were males and 51 inmates were females.

“Amongst the population in the prison, there was a young lady between 21 and 23 years old carrying a baby of about one-year-old; a baby of about one-year-old sharing in the sins of the mother in prison.

“One of the inmates told us he has been in prison since 2019 without trial. Another inmate said he has been there since 2021 without his parents knowing his whereabouts. The other said he has been there for three years and his case file has not been found,” he added.

He, therefore, called on Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo to immediately direct the Commissioner for Justice and State Attorney General to decongest Onitsha, Ekwulobia and Awka correctional centres through speedy prosecution of inmates’ cases awaiting trials. (Daily Independent)

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