By Nafisat Makinde
On May 9, 2025.
The Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, has granted freedom to 30 inmates awaiting trial at the Keffi Custodial Centre in Nasarawa State. This decision was made during an official visit to the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Keffi.
According to Justice Baba-Yusuf, “We have decided to give hope to the hopeless. There are a lot of people who shouldn’t be here in the first place.” He attributed the congestion in custodial centres and incarceration of those who shouldn’t be there to laxity of deciding magistrates, police, and challenges faced by correctional centres.
The FCT Chief Judge assured that the exercise would be continuous, with visits scheduled for Kuje and Suleja custodial centres to ensure those who shouldn’t be detained are set free.
Mrs. Lucy Abagi, CEO of Public and Private Development Centre, commended the FCT Chief Judge for the visit and release of inmates, stating, “Our goal here is to ensure that people who don’t deserve to be here are out… I am hoping other Chief Judges across the state will also carry out this exercise across the states.”
Mrs. Chioma Onyenucheya-Uko, Chairperson of FIDA Abuja, noted, “One of the things I saw concerning those women’s cases was a seeming abuse of power by persons who had the influence and think they have the wherewithal to unleash the law ferociously and even wrongly against those women.”
The Controller of the Keffi Medium Security Custodial Centre, Mr. Yau Ibrahim, thanked the FCT Chief Judge for the visit, highlighting the need to decongest the centre.
This development highlights the importance of addressing congestion in custodial centres and ensuring justice is served.
