The President of the “Nigerian Bar Association” (NBA), Afam Osigwe, has stated that Nigeria’s correctional facilities are “often congested” because some judges impose “too stringent bail conditions” that are difficult for defendants to meet.
Speaking on Wednesday during a panel session at the NBA’s Annual General Conference in Enugu, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said it was regrettable that such strict bail conditions are imposed even for minor offenses.
He criticized specific requirements, such as insisting “that a surety must show evidence of land ownership in the FCT, and titles to be verified – that’s nonsense.”
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Osigwe also pointed out that some suspects remain “locked up after they have perfected their bail conditions,” due to the actions of court officials.
He said, “In some court divisions, the court registrars have become monsters. You must give them N1 million before they go on the verification exercise after someone has been granted bail.”
He questioned why the identity of a surety cannot be verified through a more modern system like “BVN or NIN.”
The NBA president warned that correctional centers would become even more “overstretched in the future” if judicial officers continue to serve as “willing tools in the hands of complainants or the prosecutorial agencies seeking remand of defendants.”
He concluded by assuring that the NBA would “intensify interventions” to help those in society who cannot help themselves.
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