By Baba Shehu Oscu, Bauchi
Twelve awaiting trial prisoners across five prisons in Misau, Katagum, Azare, Jama’are and Ningi were recently released by the Bauchi State Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Umar.
The Chief Judge who was on routine visits to review cases of awaiting trial persons (ATPs) in the five Local Government Areas as part of the efforts to decongest prisons in the state, expressed dismay that some ATPs were left to languish in prisons for bail able offences.
Five of the six prisoners released at the Jama’are Medium Prison were charged with alleged witchcraft, a case which sometimes is difficult to probe unless such person (s) admit performing the act, while the sixth was not mentally sound.
The six other ATPs set free, two each in Misau and Azare, one each in Katagum and Ningi were mostly accused of debt they owed ranging between N10, 000 and N25, 000 and were unable to repay, which the Chief Judge instantly offset.
At the Azare prison established in 1916, Justice Rabi Umar also released two on bail and directed the transfer of five other cases from Upper Area Court 1 to 11 for delay in the dispensation of justice.
The delay came about as a result of the Upper Area Court 1 presiding judge, Sani Musa was taking examinations at the University of Maiduguri where he is studying, while she directed one of the Azare judges absent at the review sitting to report to her office this Wednesday for inattention to duty.
The Chief Judge directed the transfer of some cases that are not within the jurisdiction of sharia courts to Bauchi for adjudication, as was the case of one Hussaini Sale in Katagum who killed his brother and wounded his two wives and a son.
Justice Rabi Umar also frowned at the attitude of some sharia court judges served with prior notice of her visit to shed more lights on the ATPs but failed to turn-up, a situation which prevented her to adjudicate on some cases at the review sittings in the prisons visited.
She similarly charged some of the sharia court judges to mediate in some disputes bordering on land issues and some unable to repay incurred debt ATPs , rather than committing such persons to prisons, querying , ‘if you commit to prison someone owing money how can he/she settle the debt’.
The Chief Judge during the ATPs cases review sittings took off time to pay homage to the to the Emir of Misau, Alhaji Ahmed Suleiman whose palace is close to the prison, where the emir said crime rate in his domain is going down.
Emir Ahmed Suleiman stated, “As a result of the cooperation by the police here, crime rate is being reduced to the barest minimum”, saying however that urbanization is poising some security challenges to his domain.
The Controller of Prisons in Bauchi state and the State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Suleiman T. Suleiman and Mr. Sadiq respectively were on the entourage of the Chief Judge during the ATPs cases review sittings
