By Ado Hassan, Sokoto
No fewer than 43 inmates awaiting trial in the Sokoto Central Prisons were yesterday granted pardon by the state Chief Judge, Justice Bello Abbas.
The pardon followed a visit to the prison by Justice Abbas to ascertain and review deserving cases, especially awaiting trial inmates and those that have spent many years in prison waiting for sentence.
While granting the pardon, Justice Abbas said the gesture was aimed at de-congesting prisons to ensure that suspects did not stay much longer than necessary while awaiting trial.
“Our aim is to see to the welfare of the inmates and ensure that no one will stay longer than necessary, while awaiting trial before the various courts in the state.
“As such, the assignment we are embarking on is to ensure speedy clearance of all awaiting trials, while those who had over stayed were discharged.
“This is in order to maintain the law as well as decongesting the prisons at the appropriate time of such needs,” he said.
The chief judge also promised that all the remaining awaiting trial inmates would soon be tried, after liaising with all the courts and other related agencies.
The visitation to the prison was carried out by all the judges in the state led by Abbas for the conduct of the exercise.
However, Abbas promised to continue such exercise from time to time in order to ensure sanity in the conduct of justice and control the number of inmates in the prison.
The Prison Controller Mr. Halliru Na’abba, commended the CJ, Sokoto state government and the Federal government for taking more measures in ensuring the well -being of inmates and prisons decongestion across the Country.
He called on the pardoned inmates to utilized such opportunity in changing there lifestyle and become a better citizens in the country.
The Chief Judge had on February 8, granted pardon to 28 awaiting trial inmates under the same exercise.
