Nigeria news : 115 inmates released in Nasarawa, given N5,000 each

No fewer than 115 inmates on Wednesday set free from six Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) centres in Nasarawa State.

This followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, to decongest correctional centers across the country to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state, represented by the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Dr Abdulkarim Kana, advised the freed inmates to be law-abiding and obey government directives on COVID-19 or risk returning to prison.

The freed inmates were also given the sum of N5,000 each as transportation fare to ease their movement to their destinations, NAN reports.

“As you can see, you are released unconditionally, whatever crimes you committed have been pardoned. You can live a successful life without committing crimes, find anything you can do to earn a living,” he advised.

Sule added that the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari had facilitated their release by paying for damages and compensating some inmates, while Nasarawa State government paid various fines to secure their release.