The Rivers State Judiciary has released 23 detainees following a judicial review of cases at correctional centres in Port Harcourt, Ahoada and Degema.
The exercise, conducted on July 22 under the direction of the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, formed the first phase of the judiciary’s 2026 prison-decongestion programme.
Judicial officers examined the legal circumstances surrounding the continued detention of inmates, with particular attention to cases in which individuals might have remained in custody beyond the period permitted by law.
Eighteen detainees were released from the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, while five regained their freedom in Ahoada. No release was authorised at the Degema facility after the cases presented there were reviewed.
The Chief Registrar of the Rivers State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi, said the intervention was intended to curb unnecessary detention, protect the constitutional rights of persons in custody and strengthen compliance with legal safeguards governing pretrial detention.
The judiciary said periodic reviews would continue as part of broader efforts to improve criminal-justice administration and identify cases requiring urgent judicial attention.
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