CHARLES AJIBOYE: Bail conditions by most Magistrate Courts; tantamount to Custodial Sentencing.
He said this during the Nigerian Bar Association Ikeja’s Continuous Legal Education and Practice Develpment Seminar while asking Her Honor, Chief Magistrate Folarin Williams(Secretary, Association of Magistrates in Lagos State) a question on why Magistrates solely rely on charges brought by Prosecutors in determining the conditions of bail.
He stated that most times, a chunk of charges proffered fail because they are often trumped up or can’t be proved. Yet the Respondent is made to go through the trauma of detention in a Correctional facility based on them.
Charles also decried the now established monetization of the freedom of indigenes, where virtually all bail conditions include a minimum of 3 years tax clearance among other things that will ensure Bail cannot be perfected in a day by the ordinary man no matter the diligence brought to bear.
He said it is hypocritical to complain of congestion in the Correctional centers and keep sending people there unnecessarily. It is also wasteful, to keep people in the centers on government bill. Most importantly we create citizens who hate the system for punishing them unnecessarily.
Charles explained that perfection of Bail has now been grossly commercialized with so called Bail Agents now working with Court Registrars to exploit Respondents.
Charles is a Former Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch and a one time Chairman of the Young Lawyers Forum, NBA Ikeja
