A legal practitioner in Imo, Blessing Iweajunwa, has decried the high level of congestion in Owerri prison, saying there exists a possible outbreak of epidemic if an urgent step is not taken to address the problem.
Iweajunwa said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Owerri.
She has, therefore, appealed to the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Pascal Nnadi, to ensure a routine visit to the prison to enable him identify and release inmates with minor charges.
Iweajunwa said the Imo prison built over 25 years ago to accommodate 550 inmates, now housed over 2,000 inmates.
“We are in a democratic society. Those inmates have some right to enjoy because most of them are Awaiting trial and some yet to be convicted or not on their charges.
“Some of the inmate’s health conditions are bad and needed urgent medical attention because they have to be alive to face their charges, ‘’ she said.
Iweajunwa said a situation where a suspect would be remanded in prison healthy and strong and would eventually die of malnutrition and other kinds of sicknesses in the prison before conviction, “is not justifiable’’.
“Government needs to be told that some inmates are dying as a result of lack of proper care, ‘’ she said.
Iweajunwa who blamed the situation on the rising level of criminality, urged Gov. Rochas Okorocha, the State Chief Judge and the prison authorities, to find urgent solutions to the problems.
“It is obvious that when the prison was built, there were low rate of crime but now, people are remanded everyday due to high level of crime in the society, ‘’ she said.
According to her, despite the level of criminality in the society, there are inmates who have been granted bail but were taken to the prison until they fulfil their bail conditions.
She, however, urged the Federal Government to consider inclusion of ultra- modern prisons for the 36 states of the federation with 4,000 capacity in its 2018 budget. (NAN)
IWE/AJA