Taraba State Chief Judge, Justice Joel Agya, has vowed never to intervene in cases involving capital offences like kidnapping, armed robbery, or homicide.
He made the vow on Thursday during his visit to the Medium Custodian Centre, which is located in Jalingo, the state capital
The Judge who identified 169 pending cases of inmates awaiting trial, noted that most of the pending cases were minor offenses, with some inmates awaiting trial for periods ranging from two to five years.
While expressing concern that most of the inmates should not be in custody, he observed that the cases largely originated from the Magistrate and other lower courts.
“I am here to ensure justice is delivered promptly,” Agya stated, adding that some cases warranted immediate bail or discharge.
He cited delays caused by the absence of certain magistrates and discrepancies between police prosecutors and the Ministry of Justice, which prevented some cases from being resolved during his visit.
Agya assured the inmates that he would personally follow up on the cases to expedite bail as soon as the necessary magistrates returned from official duties.
Expressing gratitude to the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS, for its collaboration with the state judiciary, he noted that his visit was part of his commitment to decongest the facility following a request from the NCS Controller.
“My focus today is on awaiting trial cases. In subsequent visits, I will review some of the convicted cases.”
Adding that, ” will not intervene in cases involving capital offences like kidnapping, armed robbery, or homicide.”
Earlier, the Controller of Prison, Taraba State command, Murtala Haruna, highlighted the importance of restoring liberty to those, who according to him, are unnecessarily detained.
Stating that “Your visit reaffirms the judiciary as the last hope for the common man.”