By Endiong John

Akwa Ibom state governor on Wednesday granted amnesty to 68 inmates in a bid to decongest correctional centres in the State. Inmates granted pardon were drawn from four correctional centres in the state including, Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Ikot Abasi and Eket.

Governor Udom Emmanuel pardoned 22 inmates in Uyo correctional centre while 17 inmates were pardoned in Ikot Ekpene. In Ikot Abasi, the governor pardoned 12 inmates while another 17 were pardoned from Eket correctional center.

Decongestion of correctional centres has been on the front burner across Nigeria. Government is bothered by challenges in correctional centres across Nigeria and is enforcing major reforms. Presidential committee on prison decongestion revealed that (29,372), inmates out of (41,524), inmates are awaiting trial. Many cells meant to accommodate about 50 inmates were found to accommodate about 150 inmates; all cramped together. According to Njoku, the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos, is overcrowded by 250 percent. The prison, which was built for 956 inmates, is today occupied by over 3,600 inmates of which majority of the inmates awaiting trial. The situation is almost the same in Nigeria.

In Akwa Ibom state, governor Udom Emmanuel says the efforts at decongesting correctional centres is a continuous process and pledge that government will not rest on it's oars until the agenda of decongestion of correctional centres has been achieved.

Governor Udom Emmanuel who spoke through the State's Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Uwemedimo Nwoko said inmates considered for amnesty were basically inmates who had spent several years in correctional centres and had developed serious health issues. He said inmates were also considered on grounds of age for amnesty while inmates with minor offense were equally considered. Inmates with major crimes such as kidnapping were declined pardon. Those pardoned were advised to be of good conduct.

Inmates who regained freedom thanked governor Udom Emmanuel for graciously granting pardon. Each of the freed men who spoke expressed gratitude for the opportunity to rejoin with their families and expressed the hope that skills and knowledge learnt while spending time at correctional centre will make them usefulness members of the society. The controller of Akwa Ibom state correctional centres, Mr Alex Oditah who graced the occasion advised freed inmates to be deliberate about making impact in their society as an evidence that the years at correctional centres were not wasted years.

Governor Udom Emmanuel assured that apart from granting freedom to former inmates, that he will ensure that the welfare department of the state helps in integration of freed inmates into the society as well as support them to pick up their lives.

The lucky ones

Oyiboman69:
The lucky ones

Definitely, the thieves, cultists, kidnappers and armed robbers amongst them, will come back under this lockdown and continue from where they stopped abi??