48 on death row, 531 await trial in Calabar correctional centre

Forty-eight inmates, including a woman, are currently on death row at the Afokang Correctional Centre in Calabar, Cross River State, authorities have disclosed.

The Chief Superintendent of Corrections, A.E. Edet, disclosed this when scholars visited the facility as part of efforts to expose them to the practical realities of human rights, justice administration and correctional services.

Edet said the 48 inmates were sentenced to death by competent courts after being tried and convicted.

Figures presented during the visit showed that the facility currently houses 784 inmates, despite having a capacity of 450, leaving it overcrowded by 334 inmates.

The population comprises 756 male and 28 female inmates. Of the total, 531 inmates are awaiting trial, comprising 520 males and 11 females, while 170 have been convicted.

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Another 35 male inmates are serving life sentences, according to the authorities.

The Rights Academy scholars expressed concern over the high number of awaiting-trial inmates and delays in the administration of criminal justice.

They called on the Chief Judge of Cross River State to increase the frequency of jail delivery exercises, saying regular reviews could identify inmates eligible for bail, those whose cases had stalled and persons who had spent unnecessarily long periods in custody.

The scholars also raised concerns over shortages of drugs, wound-treatment materials, hygiene items and toiletries at the correctional centre’s clinic.

They urged improved healthcare funding, stronger rehabilitation programmes and greater civil society involvement in legal assistance, healthcare, hygiene and reintegration initiatives.

They stressed that inmates were entitled to dignity, humane treatment, healthcare, fair trial and timely justice, while calling for stronger coordination among law enforcement agencies, the Department of Public Prosecutions, the judiciary, legal practitioners and correctional authorities to reduce delays and overcrowding.