In his bid to decongest the Correctional facilities in the State, Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Honourable Jimi Bada to visit the correctional centres and come up with recommendations.
In response to this directive, Hon Jimi Bada, recently visited Ilesha Correctional Center, in company of the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice Mrs. Adekemi Bello and other management staff of the Ministry, where he was received by the Controller of the State Correctional Service, Mr. Tolu Ogunsakin.
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Ogunsakin presented the record of the inmates in the ilesha correctional facility to the attorney General and his team after conducting them around the facility.
Ogunsakin disclosed that ilesha correctional centre is currently overcrowded, saying that the facility has the capacity of 586 inmates, but it is currently accommodating 766 inmates.
The Comptroller of Ile-ife correctional facility DCP Olorunfemi Obembe, where the Team also visited, disclosed that the facility which is 160 inmates capacity is currently accommodating 346 inmates, adding that just 44 inmates were convicted while 302 inmates are awaiting trial.
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During the interaction session with inmates at Ile-ife correctional facility, the Attorney General paid off a fine of one hundred and fifty thousand Naira (#150,000) levelled against one underaged inmates (name withheld), a child of broken marriage, who was a scavenger before he was arrested for stealing wasted iron and subsequently sentenced to three years imprisonment by the Magistrate Court.
The Attorney General expressed worry that the prisons had remained congested owing to a huge number of inmates that are awaiting trial.
However, Ogunsakin appreciated the Attorney General’s gesture and call on other public office holders and philanthropists to emulate the good gesture of the Commissioner for Justice.
He also urged the public to adopt plea bargain option, saying that it is a modern way to decongest the Prison.
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Ogunsakin therefore requested for logistics support for the Correctional Service in the State.