Governor Shettima
As parts of the 54th Independence anniversary, the Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettima has granted amnesty to 22 inmates of Maiduguri Maximum Security Prison, who were facing various jail terms.
While addressing the prisoners, yesterday, Shettima enjoined the 22 freed inmates to be law abiding citizens as they go back to the society.
He sympathized with the inmates and appealed to them to cooperate with one another irrespective of their religious or tribal differences, adding that the state government felt it necessary to identify with the inmates as the country was marking its 54th Independence Anniversary.
He said he was at the prison to celebrate the Independence Day together with the inmates so that they would equally feel a sense of belonging as they were also citizens of Nigeria.
He, however, enjoined them to avail themselves of the various reform and training programmes in the prison so that they would be self-reliant in the future.
He promised to look into the cases of 18 mentally ill inmates, as well as the 3 remaining female inmates of the prison.
He equally promised to provide generating set, borehole and some of their requirements in addition to donating the sum of N500,000 to the prison inmates football team for the purchase of Jessy, net and balls.
Earlier speaking, the Controller of Prisons in Borno State, Mr. Inuwa Garba has expressed worry over the increasing cases of psychiatric cases among inmates at the Maiduguri Maximum Prison.
He said 28 out of the 411 male inmates were mentally ill, a situation that caused panic amongst the inmates, especially in the night, adding that the prison which had the capacity of accommodating over 1000 inmates, is however, not congested as currently, it had 411 male and 7 female inmates.
The Prisons officer said 33 out of 418 immates were condemned to death, 42 life imprisonment, 107 were convicted on capital charges while others were on minor.
According to him, the prison in its effort was able to reform many of the inmates by training them into various field of skills such as carpentry, sawing, football among others, in addition to engaging some of them into adult education programme so as to make them self reliant, when they go back to the society.
He thanked the governor for donating two Hilux vehicles, which had in no measure assisted the immates in transporting them to health facilities.
He called on the state government to complete the abandoned work on some of the staff quarters, which had reached roofing stage to enable them accommodate their displaced staff from Gwoza and Bama council areas.
In his address, the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of justice and Solicitor General, Mallam Fannami said in exercise of the governor’s power under section 212 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, 22 prisoners were granted amnesty in commemoration of the nation’s independence anniversary.
He added that the governor also approved two sets of Shadda clothing materials and N50,000 to each of the 22 freed inmates in addition to the donation of two bulls, 10 rams, assorted bags of rice, beans, other cooking materisls and cash donations to enable them celebrate the Id- Eil Kabir Sallah festivity.
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