Despite having to study within the confines of a prison, 48 awaiting-trial inmates of the Ikoyi Prisons have passed the November/December 2013 General Certificate of Examination (GCE).
According to Deputy Controller of Prisons, Mr. Emmanuel Bamidele, who reeled off the figures on Monday while receiving members of the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), 54 other inmates who wrote the examination were unsuccessful.
“When they finally regain their freedom, they can seek admission into any university of their choice, since they are awaiting trial,” Bamidele told the NBA members, who, according to NAN, were at the prison to present gifts to the inmates as part of activities marking the 2014 Law Week.
“The prison has the ‘Rehabilitation, Restoration and Reintegration’ programme, and one of its key objectives is to provide education opportunities for the inmates, so that they can be useful to themselves and the society after leaving the prison.”
Bamidele also said the prison has a total of 1,761 inmates, out of which 186 are convicted while 1,575 have been awaiting trial for between five and 13 years.
Chairman of NBA Ikeja, Mr. Monday Ubani, promised the inmates that Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, would soon visit the prison to those awaiting trial.
“Believe me, this travail would soon be over for some of you ,when the Chief Judge visits in May,” he said, adding that names of those to be released are already being compiled.
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