Vice President Yemi Osinbajo actively took initiatives to decongest prisons, thereby preventing likelihood of jailbreak while he served as Lagos State Attorney General, a human rights lawyer, Gabriel Giwa-Amu, has said.

Mr Osinbajo, a professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos under former governor Bola Tinubu.

In a Sunday interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, Mr Giwa-Amu, explained how Mr Osinbajo worked hard to enhance administration of the criminal justice system, with relevant amendments to criminal procedures and the criminal laws itself.

“Lagos State took the war of decongestion of prisons seriously when it started buying vehicles and providing facilities towards bringing the inmates to court.

“Prior to his work as Attorney-General in Lagos State, we have cases when inmates will be in prison for nine months a year, and they will not be taken to court,” Mr Giwa-Amu, who is also CEO of Stephen and Solomon Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) that offers free legal services to inmates said.

Mr Giwa-Amu said the interventions of the Lagos justice system started under Mr Osinbajo has helped many inmates to see to the conclusion of their court cases and prevent incidences of jailbreaks.

There have been three major jailbreaks between April 5 and October 23, 2021, around Nigeria, specifically in Owerri, Imo, Kabba in Kogi and Ibadan, Oyo, where about 995 inmates, mostly those awaiting trial, were set free by unknown gunmen.

Some of the inmates have since been rearrested and returned to the correctional centres.

On jailbreaks, the rights lawyer said congestion was responsible, stressing that if a large number of people are kept in confinement, there will be jailbreaks.

Mr Giwa-Amu wondered why the governments continue to keep condemned inmates at Correctional centres, instead of executing them as ordered by the court.

“My argument is if the law says execute the offender, don’t hold back once the convict has exhausted his rights of appeal. If today, the law is amended, says armed robbery to be given life imprisonment, I will support it.

“As of today, the law says death by hanging or firing squad, why should I advise a government to refuse to apply the law. Particularly, at this stage of insecurity in the land. In the USA, condemned criminals are still being executed,” he stated.

(NAN)