The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, has ordered the release of 14 inmates from the Port Harcourt Maximum Security Custodial Centre after reviewing cases involving prolonged detention and stalled trials.
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Justice Chibuzor-Amadi ordered the releases during a jail-delivery exercise held at the custodial centre on Tuesday as part of activities marking the opening of the Rivers State Judiciary’s 2026/2027 legal year.
The Chief Judge said the exercise was undertaken to correct instances of prolonged detention and help decongest the correctional facility.
He explained that those released included inmates who had spent more time in custody than the maximum prison terms they would have served if convicted of the alleged offences.
Other beneficiaries were detainees whose cases had failed to progress through no fault of theirs, including instances where security agencies did not forward investigation files to the Ministry of Justice for legal advice.
Justice Chibuzor-Amadi said some inmates had remained in custody for years because the police or Ministry of Justice could no longer trace their case files.
According to him, detainees should not continue to suffer because of failures within the criminal justice system.
“I’m here to perform a statutory function pursuant to Section 1 of the Criminal Justice (Release from Custody) (Special Provisions) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and Section 341 of the Rivers State Administration of Criminal Justice Law No. 7 of 2015,” he said.
He added that the law empowered him to release inmates who had remained in custody beyond the period they would ordinarily have served upon conviction.
Justice Chibuzor-Amadi also cautioned officials of the custodial centre against disclosing confidential information about inmates being considered for release, saying such disclosures could create unnecessary tension within the facility.
Addressing the freed inmates, the Chief Judge urged them to turn over a new leaf and avoid conduct that could return them to custody.
He warned that they might not receive another opportunity for release if they were arrested and detained over fresh offences.
The Chief Judge also cautioned them against allowing politicians to recruit them for violence as political activities intensify, noting that many young Nigerians had suffered serious consequences after being used to foment trouble.
The Controller of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Rivers State, Richard Moses-Williams, commended the Chief Judge and the state judiciary for the exercise.
Moses-Williams said the release would contribute to efforts to decongest the Port Harcourt custodial centre.
The exercise follows an earlier intervention in July 2026 in which the Rivers State Judiciary released 23 inmates from custodial facilities in Port Harcourt and Ahoada.
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