The Controller, Nigerian Correctional Services, Oyo State Command, Mr Ayoola Opadeji, has said no fewer than 1,440 inmates in custodial centres in Oyo State are awaiting trial.
Opadeji made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Ibadan.
He said that the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Agodi, Ibadan, which has a capacity for 390 inmates, now has 1,240, with 1,001 of them awaiting trial.
The controller further said that the centre at Abolongo in Oyo, which had a built capacity for 160, now has 514 inmate,s while 439 of them were awaiting trial.
He said that the total number of inmates currently in correctional centres in the state stood at 1,817, while 377 of them have been convicted and are serving various jail terms.
Opadeji said that various steps were being taken to decongest the centres in the state by the service, government and the judiciary.
The controller enumerated the measures to include community service for convicts, jail delivery (CJ’s visit to custodial centres), speedy trial and pardon.
Opadeji said that the service is currently talking to the state government and the state Attorney-General to grant pardon/ amnesty to some inmates in order to decongest the custodial centres in the state.
(NAN)
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