Thirteen inmates who had spent years in detention without trial in various correctional facilities across Taraba State have finally regained their freedom, thanks to the pro bono legal intervention of human rights lawyer, John Nkemnagum Okezie.
Speaking during the release of the last six of the 13 inmates at a correctional facility in Jalingo, Okezie announced the landmark judgment of the Federal High Court, Jalingo, which ordered the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to pay a total of ₦48 million in compensation to the plaintiffs.
The inmates had been held for periods ranging from one to six years without trial before their eventual release.
Okezie explained that he filed separate fundamental rights enforcement suits against the Nigeria Police Force and the DSS over the prolonged, unlawful detention of the young men, which he described as a blatant violation of their constitutional rights.
He said the court’s decision would serve as motivation for him to continue offering free legal representation to those unjustly held, and as a ray of hope to others still in detention awaiting trial.
“We need to decongest our correctional facilities, especially when some persons are just languishing in there without trial,” he said.
Okezie also advised the freed inmates to make good use of the second chance the law has offered them.
