Twenty-one inmates who had been awaiting trial have be released from the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre.
Naijaonpoint reports that they were released on Thursday by the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi.
The release came during a visit by the Chief Judge as part of efforts to ease overcrowding in the state’s correctional facilities.
The Port Harcourt prison, which was built to hold 1,500 people, now holds over 2,500, creating harsh conditions for those inside.
Justice Amadi said the release followed a careful review of each inmate’s case.
He said that only those whose court files could not be traced and who had spent long periods in custody without any court progress were considered.
Inmates whose matters were still active in court were not released.
Two of the freed individuals had been behind bars for up to ten years without any proper trial and were said to be mentally unstable.
The judge pointed out that detaining people without trial does not help society and may damage their health and well-being.
He stressed that the move was not just routine but part of his role under Nigerian law, including the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provision Act and the Rivers State Administration of Criminal Justice Law.
He called on the police to investigate cases thoroughly before charging suspects, to avoid keeping people in prison without cause.