Fourteen prisoners have been discharged from the Port Harcourt Maximum Security Custodial Center by Rivers State Chief Judge Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi.
Speaking at the jail delivery exercise on Tuesday at the correctional facility, Chibuzor-Amadi revealed that the activity also marked the start of the 2026–2027 legal year.
He said that the practice was supported by the Constitution in order to make amends and clear the prison.
According to the CJ, the inmates who were released fell into two categories: those whose cases had not progressed due to the failure of the security agencies or even the judiciary, and those who had exceeded the number of years stipulated by law if they had been found guilty of the crimes they were accused of.
“That is to free those who have been detained for the length of time they would have served if they had been found guilty of the crime they claimed to have committed.
“Those who have been here for years without being put on trial, not because of their actions, but rather because the police or any security agency were unable to send the case file to the Ministry of Justice so they could review it and provide legal counsel.
“Those who have been here for years but whose files the police or the Ministry of Justice were unable to locate will not suffer.”
“Those who fit into these criteria are to be released. Additionally, we are doing this to mark the beginning of the Rivers State Judiciary’s 2026–2027 legal year,” he continued.
To ease the tension involved, the Chief Judge advised the correctional facility’s administrators not to divulge private information to prisoners, particularly concerning those who will be released.
Speaking to the released prisoners, the Rivers CJ cautioned that anyone who returned to the facility for another offence might not be given the chance to be free again and urged them to start over as they reintegrated into society.
He warned them against being used by politicians to stir up unrest and reminded them that the election season had already begun. He also mentioned that a number of young people had been victims of political violence.
Richard Moses-Williams, the Controller of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Rivers State, had earlier praised the Chief Judge and the Rivers State Judiciary for the action.
While praising the CJ for his visit to the prison, he stated that the jail delivery will aid in clearing the custodial center.