CJ Conducts Oversight Visit to Correctional Centres in Keffi: Report

By Onyekachi Eke

Law Hub Development and Advocacy Centre, along with a team of judges, magistrates, and lawyers, actively participated in supporting Hon. Justice Aisah Bashir-Aliyu, the Chief Judge of Nasarawa State, during her oversight duties to the correctional centres in Keffi.

The primary objective of the visit, among others, was to address prison congestion and ensure that individuals awaiting trial are not unnecessarily detained.

Both the old and new correctional centres in Keffi were visited, where the Chief Judge successfully addressed minor offences involving suspects held in detention for periods ranging from two days to three months. The majority of these individuals were granted bail, while a few were discharged.

Furthermore, the Chief Judge granted bail to under-age children who were held in the correctional centres.

A total of 26 individuals were released on bail from the correctional centre at Old Keffi, while 40 individuals were attended to at the new correctional centre in Keffi.

The visitation will continue to other correctional centres within Nasarawa State.

It is important to note that capital offences were not addressed during this visitation.

In the previous year, an advocacy visit, assessment, and capacity-building workshop were conducted in Nasarawa State. During the event, the Chief Judge expressed her commitment to fully implementing the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) within the state, and this led to the Chief Judge conducting oversight custodial decongestion visits in line with her statutory obligations.

The visit was a resounding success, furthering the efforts towards improving the correctional system in Nasarawa State.