By Prince Woke
In a bid to decongest the correctional custodian centre in Rivers State, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, on Thursday 17th July,2025 granted pardon to twenty-one inmates at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.
Those granted pardon were standing trial for alleged murder and armed robbery, and had been held in the facility for over six years without a case file.
In his remarks during the jail delivery exercise, Justice Chibuzor-Amadi tasked the Police to ensure proper investigation of cases before arraigning suspects in court.
The Chief Judge of Rivers State also urged the released inmates to exhibit good conduct as they reintegrate into society.
In his address, the Comptroller of the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, Felix Madumere, commended the effort of the Chief Judge ti decongest the facility, but blamed the Police and the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) for the overcrowding of correctional custodian centres.
Comptroller Madumere also expressed concern that the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, which has a capacity of 1,800, is currently housing over 2,500 inmates.
