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As part of an ongoing campaign to address prison congestion, the Nigerian government has granted amnesty to over 1,450 inmates across various correctional facilities nationwide from January to September 2024. This initiative aims to reduce the country’s prison population and improve living conditions.
Building on its commitment to alleviate prison overcrowding, the Federal Government initiated a large-scale release of inmates in November 2023. A total of 4,068 individuals, primarily those detained due to unpaid fines, regained their freedom thanks to N585 million in funding from corporate bodies’ social responsibility programs.
Throughout the first nine months of 2024, state governors and Chief Judges have been instrumental in facilitating the release of numerous inmates.
On New Year’s Day, the governors of Benue, Nasarawa, Gombe, and Taraba states made headlines by granting freedom to 96 individuals On March 19, a groundbreaking initiative by the Headford Foundation, a non-governmental organization, led to the liberation of 628 inmates who were wrongly held in various correctional facilities across Lagos, Ekiti, Delta, Ogun, and Rivers states.
On March 20, Oyo State Chief Judge Justice Iyabo Yerima issued pardons to 38 deserving inmates, extending the trajectory of releases and reinforcing the state’s dedication to justice and mercy.
Read also: 281 Inmates Escape Borno Prison After Flood, 7 Recaptured
On March 22, 96 inmates were freed by the Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed while the Rivers State’s Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, released 24 inmates from the Port Harcourt Maximum Custodial Centre the same month.
On April 9, Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, secured the release of 222 inmates by settling their fines.
The Ogun State’s Chief Judge, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, granted clemency to 49 inmates on April 29 and 30.
The pardons continued into May, with the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, freeing 13 inmates on May 29, followed by the Ogun Governor, Dapo Abiodun and Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, who pardoned 41 and 110 inmates, respectively.
NCoS assures inmates’s safety, evacuation amid flooding at Maiduguri facility
The latest round of releases occurred on September 12, when the Adamawa State Chief Judge, Justice Hasfat Abdulrahaman, discharged 156 inmates during a two-day visit to three correctional centres in Yola, the state capital.
Amid these developments, the Nigerian Correctional Service has raised concerns about the stigmatisation faced by ex-offenders.
The NCoS spokesperson, Umar Abubukar, who spoke to the press, emphasised that societal discrimination often undermined the rehabilitation process, and pushed reformed offenders back into crime due to limited opportunities in employment, politics, and civil rights.
“In most communities, ex-offenders are stigmatised, and this makes a mockery of the reformation they had undergone while in custody.
“Most ex-offenders are not given equal chances in employment, politics, and even in exercising their franchise and civic responsibilities,” Abubakar said, urging Nigerians to change their attitude towards reformed individuals.
He warned that stigmatisation was not only a moral failing but also posed a security threat, as it prevented ex-offenders from reintegrating into society and contributing to national development.
Abubakar called on the public to support the NCoS’s rehabilitation efforts, stressing that a welcoming environment for ex-offenders would ultimately benefit society.
“May I use this medium to call on the public to refrain from any act of stigmatisation of ex-offenders, as they are doing more harm to the society than good,” Abubakar stressed.
