Alex Enumah in Abuja
165 inmates serving various jail terms in Katsina State regained freedom when the Presidential Committee on Prisons Reform and Decongestion paid a visit to the state.
Those freed include a female inmate who was held for “intentional insult and provocation.â€
To regain her freedom, the Federal Ministry of Justice had to pay her fine of N50,000.
Similarly, 49 convicts with minor offenses but unable to pay their fines had their fines paid by the Katsina State Government, while one Awaiting Trial Person (ATP) was discharged and two terrorism suspects had their cases transferred to the Federal High Court.
The committee also transferred the cases of 11 ATPs from the Magistrate Courts to the Katsina State High Court.
It also discharged four inmates accused of minor offences including one who had a serious and infected wound on health grounds.
A special case of an 83-year-old crippled man who was accused of attempted rape and had spent three years and eight months was released on grounds of old age and ill-health.
Following an observation by the Chairman of the Committee, Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello, the Katsina State Attorney-General and DPP agreed to conduct a review of all cases of Persons Awaiting Trial on charges of Belonging to Gang of Thieves (BGT).
The review is to be concluded by mid April.
The Chairman was especially concerned as he was informed by the Katsina State Comptroller of Prisons that BGT awaiting trial inmates numbered over 500 persons.
Earlier, Justice Bello and his entourage had paid a visit to the governor of Katsina State, where he urged the governor to consider the plight of convicts who were sentenced in Katsina State, but were serving their sentences in other states.
Members of the delegation include, the Representative of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Pius Oteh, a director in the Ministry of Justice, the Secretary of the Committee, Mrs. Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, Deputy Director in the ministry, Assistant Comptroller-General of Prisons, Mr. Abubakar Garba and the representative of the National Security Adviser, Col. Olutayo Adesuyi.