PRISON CONGESTION: TARABA AG MAIKASUWA MOVES TO FREE DESERVING INMATES

Constitutes multi-agency Prison Decongestion Committee
Attorney-General to visit Jalingo Correctional Centre today.
Committee to review stalled cases, unpaid fines, amnesty and pardon
Taraba News had raised alarm over overcrowding
Police, Corrections, DSS, NBA, FIDA, Legal Aid, Judiciary join exercise

The Taraba State Government has commenced a major move to decongest the Jalingo Correctional Centre, with the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Yakubu Maikasuwa, SAN, constituting a multi-agency Prison Decongestion Committee to identify inmates who may qualify for release, legal intervention, payment of fines, amnesty or pardon.

The initiative comes amid growing concern over severe overcrowding at the Jalingo Correctional Centre and follows recent advocacy by Taraba News drawing attention to the condition of inmates and prolonged detention of persons whose cases have remained unresolved for years.

The Attorney-General is expected to personally visit the Jalingo Correctional Centre on Friday, September 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., as part of efforts to obtain first-hand information on the condition of inmates and identify cases requiring immediate legal and administrative intervention.

The Director of Public Prosecutions in Taraba State, Barr. Abubakar Dahiru Mustapha, who chairs the committee, disclosed that the body was constituted by the Attorney-General to work out practical modalities for decongesting correctional facilities in the state.

According to him, the committee brings together critical institutions within the criminal justice system, including representatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Correctional Service, Department of State Services, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Bar Association, Jalingo Branch, Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, and the Judiciary.

The committee is expected to examine the cases of inmates who have remained in detention for extended periods without meaningful progress in their trials.

Particular attention will also be given to convicts who were given the option of fines by the courts but have remained behind bars because they are unable to raise the money.

The committee will determine whether appropriate interventions can be made in such cases to secure their release in accordance with the law.

It will equally identify convicted inmates whose circumstances may make them deserving of amnesty or pardon by the Governor of Taraba State, with appropriate recommendations expected to be forwarded to the relevant authorities.

Another major component of the exercise is to establish the number and circumstances of inmates whose cases are no longer progressing effectively before the courts.

Such cases could include inmates who have spent prolonged periods awaiting trial, those whose prosecution has stalled, persons without adequate legal representation, and other inmates whose continued detention may require urgent review by the prosecution, courts, Legal Aid Council or other relevant agencies.

TARABA NEWS ADVOCACY

The latest intervention by the Attorney-General comes after Taraba News intensified its advocacy for the decongestion of the Jalingo Correctional Centre, raising concerns about overcrowding and prolonged detention at the facility.

In a recent publication, the Chief Executive Officer of Taraba News and SUM TV, Chief Gabriel Motunrayo Olayinka, FCA, raised the alarm over what he described as an alarming level of congestion at the correctional centre.

Olayinka disclosed that the facility, which was designed to accommodate about 250 inmates, was holding more than 500 inmates, leaving more than 250 inmates without conventional sleeping spaces.

According to him, over 250 inmates were sleeping on mats on the floor as a result of the overcrowding.

Taraba News also drew attention to the large number of awaiting-trial inmates at the facility and cases of persons who have remained in custody for several years without the conclusion of their trials.

The newspaper consequently called for urgent collaboration among the Judiciary, Ministry of Justice, Nigerian Correctional Service, Police, Legal Aid Council, NBA and other stakeholders to review such cases and ensure that people are not kept behind bars indefinitely because of avoidable delays in the justice system.

The constitution of the Prison Decongestion Committee therefore represents a significant response to growing public concern over conditions at the Jalingo Correctional Centre.

AG VISITS PRISON FRIDAY

During Friday’s visit, Attorney-General Maikasuwa and members of the committee are expected to engage officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service and examine records relating to the inmate population and pending cases.

The exercise is also expected to identify inmates serving sentences because of their inability to pay court-imposed fines, those who may qualify for pardon or amnesty, and awaiting-trial inmates whose cases require urgent intervention.

The committee is expected to ensure coordination among prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, correctional authorities, lawyers and the Judiciary in addressing cases that have remained unresolved.

If effectively implemented, the exercise could provide relief to deserving inmates while reducing the pressure on the already overstretched Jalingo Correctional Centre.

For Taraba News, the development marks an important step towards addressing an issue the newspaper has recently placed on the front burner — ensuring that correctional facilities serve the purpose of justice and rehabilitation without allowing administrative and judicial delays to result in unnecessary prolonged detention.