A nursing mother, Comfort James, who gave birth to her only son, Emmanuel, during her remand in Kirikiri prison, and her husband, Bassey Ude, were among the 96 prisoners released from the facility by the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Philips, on Tuesday.
Philips, while on a visit aimed at decongesting the prisons, released eight female prisoners from the women section and 88 men from the Medium section of the prisons.
The Deputy Comptroller of Prison in charge of the female section of the prison, Mrs. Isioma Onwuli, said there were four pregnant women in the prison, and with Comfort’s release, there are now eight babies left.
Comfort and her husband were arrested on March 15, 2011 for stealing jewellery from a house in Magodo where she was working as a house help.
The couple was taken to court on March 30, 2011 and had since then been remanded in Kirikiri prisons awaiting trial.
She told reporters she actually stole the jewellery and informed her husband of her act, but she said her employer was only out to punish as she claimed to have returned the stolen items to her employer.
“To God who made me, I returned all the gold (the pieces of jewellery to my madam. But she just went to report the matter to the police just to punish me and my husband,” Comfort said.
Bassey, who was elated when informed by journalists that her wife and one-year-and five -month -old son had earlier been released from the female section of the prison, said since their remands, she had only seen his wife and son on few occasions when they met in court.
He said he intended to return to the guest house in Adeniji Jones, Ikeja where she was working as a caterer.
When asked if he thought he would be allowed to continue his work at the guest house, as a person who just returned from prison, he said he would try to be on his own.
“If they don’t take me, I will try and be on my own. I have learnt my lessons, crime is not good,” he said.
The Chief Registrar of Lagos State, Mr. Ganiyu Safari, said the case files of the inmates were rigorously studied, and it was found out that the inmates had spent a period longer than what they ought to have spent if they were convicted for various offences they were accused of.
The CJ, sounding a warning of “go and sin no more” to the released inmates, promised to return to the prisons to further release deserving inmates.
Philips said her gesture was in exercise of her power under Section 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Administration Release from Custody (Special Provisions) Act, Cap C40, Laws of Federation (2007).
The DCP in charge of Medium Section of the prison, Mr. Tunde Ladipo, said before the release of the 96 inmates, there were a total of 2,496 inmates, among whom 152 were convicted and 2,344 were awaiting trial.