No fewer than 80 inmates from different Custodial Centres in Niger state have regained their freedom.
The release of the inmates followed the intervention of the state governor, Mohamed Umaru Bago, administration who paid about N20 million in fines to effect their release.
The intervention was aimed at giving the former convicts and awaiting trial persons the opportunity to celebrate the Eid-El-Kabir Sallah festival with their respective families and friends.
The State Governor, Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago, represented by the Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba, was emotional considering the ages of the inmates. He assured the need to protect all Nigerlites in the state and warned them to desist from actions that would lead them back to the correctional centres.
The Deputy Governor made these statements at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (Old Prisons) in Minna during the discharge of the inmates on Monday. He also called for their proper reintegration into society.
Comrade Garba appealed to the inmates to make use of their freedom by engaging in useful ventures and to avoid any activities that could lead them back to the correctional facility. He advised them to be law-abiding citizens and engage in legitimate activities.
Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Abubakar Usman, announced that Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago had approved the payment of fines for the discharge of the 80 inmates spread across various Correctional Centres in the state.
Alhaji Abubakar Usman explained that the payment of fines for the discharge of the inmates by the Governor was in line with the power of the Prerogative of Mercy as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Comptroller of Correctional Service in Niger State, Commandant Abdulkadir Salman, appreciated the Niger State government for giving a second chance to the freed inmates who had been reformed and rehabilitated. He also urged society to avoid stigmatizing the ex-inmates.
One of the discharged inmates, Danjuma Dan Kambari, expressed his appreciation to the State Governor, Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago, for his kind gestures. He promised that they would all be better citizens from henceforth in a brief interview with the newsmen
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