Justice at Last: Man arrested at 14 freed after 18 Years in Port Harcourt Prison

In a move aimed at addressing longstanding injustices in the criminal justice system, the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, on Thursday, commenced the state’s jail delivery exercise by releasing 21 inmates from the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.

Among them was Gospel Nwibari, who had been detained for 18 years without trial after being arrested at the age of 14 in 2007.

The jail delivery initiative, guided by the Rivers State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, is part of efforts to decongest correctional facilities and resolve delayed legal cases.

Justice Amadi noted that several of the inmates freed had no case files or verifiable charges against them.

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He emphasized that while some were accused of serious crimes, justice must still be pursued through due process.

“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,” the Chief Judge said.

He further explained that the releases were based on recommendations by the correctional authorities and subject to vetting by the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Justice Amadi advised the freed inmates to live law-abiding lives, warning that reintegration into society might be difficult due to the nature of the alleged offences.

“Society may not always be forgiving. But the law must remain just and humane,” he stated.

Felix Madumere, Controller of Corrections for Rivers State, expressed concern over overcrowding, revealing that the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, designed for 1,800 inmates, now houses over 2,500.

He cautioned that failure to decongest the prison might result in a temporary halt to inmate admissions.

The emotional highlight of the event was the release of Gospel Nwibari. His brother, Paul Kinani, said the family had given up hope of finding him after years of unsuccessful search efforts.

His release was facilitated by the Haven360 Foundation, a legal advocacy group that discovered his case in 2020.

“I thought he was gone forever. We looked for him everywhere. Getting that call from Haven360 Foundation felt like a miracle,” Kinani said tearfully, adding that Gospel would be taken for urgent medical evaluation due to signs of untreated mental health issues.

Barrister Cyrus Onu, President of Haven360 Foundation, described Gospel’s release as a victory for justice reform.

He also revealed that the group recently secured the freedom of a mentally ill woman detained in Etche since 2022.

“He was arrested as a teenager and left to rot in the system. These are the people justice forgot,” Onu said.

Justice Amadi pledged that the jail delivery exercise would continue across other correctional facilities in the state.

The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Nigerian Correctional Service, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), legal aid groups, and human rights organisations.