University graduate, 25 others, freed from prison
By Kayode Ketefe
Published: Friday, 3 Aug 2007
A Nigerian with a doctorate in Petroleum Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, USA, Dr. Muhammed Mamadou, was among the 26 inmates of the Ikoyi Prison set free by the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Adetula Alabi, on Thursday.

The freed inmates had been detained for a period ranging from three to 12 years.

Mamadou, who said his wife and children were in Canada, had been detained for eight years without trial over alleged offence of obtaining money by false pretence.

Some of the freed inmates were also alleged to be HIV positive while one was said to have been ”certified mad.”

The release of the inmates was facilitated by the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, whose Chairman, Mr. Olorogun Gbagi, led officers of the council to the prison.

The Chief Judge, who led a number of the officials of the Lagos State Judiciary, first received the Legal Council team at the Lagos High Court, Igbosere, before the visit to the prison.

Seven of the freed inmates are under age persons who had been convicted and sentenced with options of fine. They were however serving prison terms because they could not pay the fines even though some of the fines were as low as N10,000.

The Legal Aid Council paid all the fines imposed on the seven persons.

Eighteen of the freed inmates were released on the grounds that they had spent more time in prison than they would have spent even if they had been convicted and sentenced for the offences for which they were arrested.

One of them, Sola Okoro, was released on the grounds that the circumstances under which he was arrested and detained ”were manifestly unjust.”
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