Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina State has secured the release of 222 inmates from various correctional facilities in the state by settling their fines.
This is contained in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Ibrahim Kaula-Mohammed, on Tuesday in Katsina.
He said the decision was part of the compassionate move to bring happiness to the inmates in the Holy Month of Ramadan, to enable them celebrate the Eid-el-Fitr festivities with their families.
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According to him, the inmates are those detained due to their inability to pay fines imposed on them by different courts of law.
Kaula-Mohammed quoted the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state, Hajiya Fadila Muhammad-Dikko, as saying that the initiative would go a long way in decongesting the custodial centers.
“The commissioner, who expressed sincere gratitude to the governor, also acknowledged the significance of this gesture by providing relief to those incarcerated for minor and non-capital offenses.
“The selection process for the beneficiaries involved thorough verification and recommendations to the state for intervention in paying the fines holding them in the correctional facilities,” he qouted Muhammad-Dikko as saying.
The CPS further stressed the administration’s desire to uphold justice and ensure the well-being of its citizens.