Inline with the Federal Government’s directive to decongest all custodial centres nationwide, 10 Inmates of the Abia State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service have been released.
The nation’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, through the Minister of Interior, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, under the watch of the Controller General of Corrections,Haliru Nababa, recently embarked on the decongestion of all custodial centres across the country by offsetting the fines for inmates who committed minor offences,but were reprimanded due to the inability to pay their fines.
The Federal Government in a bid to free all custodial centres which already are faced with the challenge of congestion, released a total of 4000 inmates across the nation.
In Abia state, 10 Inmates drawn from the three custodial centres in Aba, Umuahia and Arochukwu, regained their freedom in lieu of their jail term. Seven inmates were released from the Medium Security Custodial Centre(MSCC) Umuahia, two from MSCC Aba and one from Arochukwu.
The Controller of Corrections,Abia State Command, Julie Anyanwu,in her speech, appreciated the Federal Government for the gesture which she described as one of its kind in the history of Corrections Service.
She disclosed that the Federal Government did not only pay off the fines of the inmates but also gave out #10,000 to each inmate, as transportation support back to their various homes.
Responding, one of the inmates, thanked the Federal Government for the gesture and as well, the Correctional Centre for helping to rehabilitate them while in their custody, promising on behalf of other inmates to be of good behaviour and also to avoid any crime that would bring them back to the correction service.
In an interview, the Abia State Controller of Corrections, Julie Anyanwu, further charged the inmates to remain a changed citizen, according to her, the inmates are now of good behaviour because the Correction service is nolonger punitive but a place where the inmates are corrected, rehabilitated and reintegrated.
Anyanwu urged them to ensure they make good use of the skill they acquired while in detention to fend for themselves and families, than going back to crime,enjoining them to live upright and be of good behaviour.
