In an emotional start to Rivers State’s jail delivery exercise, the Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Amadi, on Thursday ordered the release of 21 inmates from the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, including a man who had been held for 18 years without trial.
The man, Gospel Nwibari, was reportedly arrested in 2007 at the age of 14.
He remained in custody ever since, without access to legal representation or a formal trial, a striking example of the flaws in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
The release was part of a larger initiative driven by the Rivers State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, which aims to decongest correctional facilities and address systemic delays in the handling of criminal cases.
“Many of these inmates had no case files and no means to trace the charges against them. Continuing to detain them serves no justice purpose,” said Justice Amadi, describing the legal vacuum in which many detainees are trapped.
He emphasized that despite some inmates being accused of serious crimes like armed robbery and murder, justice must be administered in accordance with due process and human rights.
The Chief Judge clarified that all releases were subject to verification by the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) and were based on case reviews recommended by correctional authorities.
Amadi also offered advice to those freed, urging them to embrace a fresh start.
“Society may not always be forgiving. But the law must remain just and humane,” he told the inmates.
The Controller of Corrections for Rivers State, Felix Madumere, also spoke during the exercise.
He highlighted the severe overcrowding at the Port Harcourt facility, revealing that the prison, built for 1,800 inmates, now holds more than 2,500, straining both infrastructure and human rights protections.
“If the state fails to act, we may be forced to halt inmate admissions temporarily to prevent a system breakdown,” Madumere warned.
Among the 21 released, Gospel Nwibari’s case stood out. His brother, Paul Kinani, emotionally recounted years of desperate searching and the assumption that Gospel was dead.
“I thought he was gone forever. We looked for him everywhere. Getting that call from Haven360 Foundation felt like a miracle,” Kinani said, struggling to hold back tears.
He confirmed that Gospel, now showing signs of untreated mental health challenges, would be taken for immediate medical attention.
The Haven360 Foundation, a legal advocacy group that began tracing Gospel’s case in 2020, played a critical role in securing his release.
“He was arrested as a teenager and left to rot in the system. We also secured the release of a mentally ill woman from Etche who had been detained since 2022. These are the people justice forgot,” said Barr. Cyrus Onu, President of the foundation.
Onu pledged the group’s ongoing support for the rehabilitation and reintegration of wrongfully detained individuals, particularly those facing psychological trauma or social displacement.
Justice Amadi assured stakeholders that the exercise is only the beginning of a wider push to reform the justice system and uphold the rights of detainees.
“This is just the beginning. The exercise will continue in other correctional facilities across the state,” he said.
The event drew attendance from representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Nigerian Correctional Service, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), legal aid groups, and human rights organizations — all united in their mission to restore justice and dignity to those failed by the system.
