Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
The Ebonyi State Government has expressed concern over the high number of indigenes, totaling 482, on the death row at Enugu Maximum Security Prison. The state laments that some of these individuals may have been sentenced for crimes they did not commit.
The Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Dr. Ben Uruchi Odoh, disclosed this during the maiden accountability forum organized by his office, titled “Civic Catalyst, HAG Open Forum 2.0: Empowering Citizens, Advancing Justice.”
Odoh revealed that the Ministry of Justice has submitted multiple applications to the governor and has begun profiling the names of the condemned inmates. The ministry is optimistic that, in the near future, the governor will grant pardons to some of these prisoners.
He recounted that 159 warlords were arrested during the Effium and Ezza Effium communal clashes. The ministry engaged with the governor, who granted them amnesty, and a de-radicalization exercise was carried out for those released. Additionally, 151 combatants were apprehended during the Edda communal crisis, and the wife of the governor, Mrs. Mary Maudlin Nwifuru, paid fines for 109 inmates to secure their release, empowering them to reintegrate into society.
“Ebonyi has the highest number of persons on death row, with 482 inmates in Enugu maximum security,” Odoh stated. “Some of them truly committed the crimes they were sentenced for. We have written many applications, and we are profiling them, believing that the governor will grant pardons.”
The Commissioner also highlighted the establishment of key legal institutions by the Ministry of Justice, including the Ebonyi Multi-door Courthouse, the Ebonyi Citizens Mediation Centre, and the Office of the Public Defender. These offices have significantly contributed to mediation, reconciliation, restoration, reintegration, and justice delivery, aligning with the strategic legal framework known as the “Charter of Justice.”
He emphasized that the Citizens Mediation Centre has helped reduce unnecessary litigations, and the Office of the Public Defender has effectively supported the Legal Aid Council in providing services to the less privileged in the state.
Odoh pointed out that justice is not solely achieved through litigation. The Ebonyi State Mediation Centre offers an alternative avenue for resolving disputes, especially for indigent persons who cannot afford legal proceedings, by engaging certified mediators.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Justice has been decentralized across the three senatorial zones of Ebonyi State, and has established an ICT Law Reporting Department along with the introduction of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice Law Journal to enhance legal transparency and accountability.
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