Kano state government has set free 50 inmates detained at two major correctional facilities as part of efforts to stem the spread of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.
A team of shariah court judges led by an upper shariah court judge, Ustaz Ibrahim Sarki Yola, ordered the immediate release of the inmates from Kurmawa and Goron Dutse correctional facilities on Friday, April 17, 2020.
Ustaz Yola told journalists that the release of the inmates was in compliance with directives issued by the Grand Khadi, adding that the action was to ensure the decongestion of the correctional facilities at a time when the state is battling against COVID-19.
Yola explained that those pardoned are persons who committed offenses that are pardonable.
Confirming the release of the inmates, the spokesman, Nigeria Correctional Services in Kano, Musbau Kofar Nassarawa said 50 inmates have regained their freedom.
According to him, the exercise that led to the release of the detainees is in consonance with a federal government directive that enjoined state governments to initiate the process that would help to deflate the number of inmates currently held in correctional centers across the country.
Musbau cautioned the released persons to be of good behavior, further urging them to integrate themselves into society.