Ogun’s judiciary reveals by sweeping the reforms of the bonds of deposit, he frees over 10,000 defendants in five years

On Friday the state judiciary of Ogun announced large reforms in his bondmen regime of bail, revealing the Bondmen regulations of 2025 and the practical directions aimed at strengthening professionalism, responsibility and transparency in the judicial system.

Speaking at the second Bondmen stakeholder forum held at the judicial complex, Kobape Road, Abakuta, the chief judge of the state of Ogun, the judge Mosunmola Figelou, said that the new regulations have been introduced after five years of lessons from the pioneering regime, which remains the only system of bonds regarding bonds in Nigeria.

The judge Dipeolu revealed that the regime had facilitated the release of over 10,000 defendants on bail by his institution in 2020-2.800 between January 2021 and October 2023 and over 8,000 between October 2023 and July 2025.

“This is not just a statistics; it represents over 10,000 people whose rights to freedom and presumption of innocence have been preserved and a significant alleviation of the pressure on our corrective centers,” he said.

The chief judge observed that the scheme had been decisive to reduce congestion in prisons, curb corruption in the deposit process and restore public confidence in the courts. He added that a new company, Lode & Moremi Bail and Bonds Limited, had been authorized, increasing the number of ties recorded in the three state.

The judge Dipeolu stressed that the next frontier of the judiciary is a digitized deposit system in which applications, verification of the guarantee and judicial notifications will be processed through a single electronic portal.

“Our vision is to integrate the Bondsman system into a centralized digital platform that drastically reduces documents, minimizes corruption and guarantees real time management of the chain of justice. The future of the bail in the state of Ogun is digital,” said the chief judge.

In its presentation, the administrator of the bonds, Olakulehin Oke, explained that the 2025 regulations introduced radical changes in eight key areas, including more severe financial requirements, codified professional duties, more severe penalties for wandering bonds and a centralized process of forfeiture.

According to him, demand taxes went from ₦ 10,000 in 2019 to ₦ 50,000, while the license categories now require stronger capital thresholds – ₦ 20m for category A, ₦ 15m for category B and ₦ 10m for category C.

He stressed that these changes will only guarantee financial and serious players who remain in the sector.

“The new rules are designed to improve professionalism, clarify the procedures, strengthen financial guarantees and increase responsibility. They protect the courts, defendants and the public ensuring that the bonds have the resources and integrity to satisfy their obligations,” said Oke.

The regulations also introduce clear duties of obligations such as risk assessment, guaranteeing the appearances of the Court, the ban on corruption and coercion and compulsory signaling of violations. The links that record three escape customers within six months risk losing their licenses.

By obtaining his observations, the president of the Boardsmen Licensening Board, the judge O. Ogunfowora, revealed that the scheme recorded a escape rate of just 3.04%, with 212 out of 243 fugitives quickly reorganized, an undertaking that described as an undeclared by the traditional surety system.

He added that the bonds had reimbursed deposits to the defendants within 24 hours of the conclusion of the case, while total losses now exceed 2.8 million, underlining the financial integrity of the system.

The Ogunfowora judge also revealed the launch of a centralized Bondsmen database in January 2025, designed to trace the defendants in real time, monitor the appearances of the court and provide a transparent supervision of the authorized companies.

“This scheme has eradicated the threat of false surety and tout, created over 80 direct jobs and restored dignity to the deposit process. The 2025 regulations are not a review but a revolution, on the future, the scheme through technology and rigorous compliance,” he said.

The interested parties of the forum described the reforms as a model for the reform of national preliminary justice, with the state of Ogun who was positioned as a reference point for other states in Nigeria.

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