Kano Chief Judge Frees 20 Prison Inmates

BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Luck shone on 20 inmates of Central Prison located in Kurmawa in Kano State as the acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Nura Sagir, set them free based on parole of mercy.
Justice Sagir, who on a visit to the prison applied the provisions of parole of mercy in consonance with the provision of the Criminal Custody Act.
He charged the freed detainees to be of good behavior and appealed to the public to integrate them into the society.
The Kano State Command of the Nigeria Prison Service had listed 107 inmates on the proposed parole list as part of efforts to decongest the central prison facility.
Those released were inmates alleged to have been involved in minor offences, alongside those inmates held under custody for four years and above without trial before any court of law.
Justice Sagir, who was accompanied by stakeholders in the judiciary, made use of his powers by also referring delayed cases for accelerated hearing just as he directed that other matters should be aligned for procedural prosecution.
Decrying the problem of prison congestion, Justice Sagir assured that a quarterly visit to prison facilities in the state would commence with a view to addressing the challenges associated with prison congestion.
He, therefore, called on the police, Nigeria Bar Association, Nigeria Prison Service and the bench to liaise and pursue speedy trial of cases in the interest of serving justice.
Also speaking, the comptroller, Kano State Command of the Nigeria Prison Service, Aliyu Achor, lamented the overstretching of prison facilities, stressing that the Kano Central Prison currently accommodates over 2,000 inmates, of which 1,500 were on Awaiting Trial.