Lawyers in Nigeria, under the aegis of Lawyers Alert, have advised the Federal Government to decongest custodial centers in the country as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.
In a press statement on Friday, the Director of Programs, Lawyers Alert, Roseline Oghenebrume, appealed to government to release the awaiting trial prisoners on bail to achieve the decongestion.
Lawyers Alert said as the global pandemic continues to ravage the world, any outbreak of the virus in any of the custodial center in Nigeria would be very difficult to contain given the congestion in the centers in the country.
According to the statement: “Lawyers Alert appreciates the anxiety and concerns of the global community with regard to COVID-19 and we align ourselves completely with the recommendations/measures adopted by World Health Organization.
“We align ourselves with the steps taken by several governments in encouraging washing of hands, social distancing, self-quarantine and travel bans as the world makes efforts in stopping the incidence of infection and transmission.
“Undoubtedly, there are human rights issues and concerns in all of these measures and it is in this respect that Lawyers Alert flags the issues as contained in this statement.”
Nigeria now has 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus as at Thursday.
As a result, most states in the country have ordered a complete shut down of schools and worship centres to prevent the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, authorities have announced that the first case of coronavirus in the country, an Italian, has now tested negative after about two weeks in isolation.
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