Nasarawa chief judge pardons 22 awaiting-trial inmates

The chief judge of Nasarawa State, Justice Suleiman Dikko, on Friday granted pardon to 27 inmates awaiting trial in four federal prisons in the state.

The prisons are in Lafia, Keffi, Nasarawa and Wamba.

Diko announced the pardon when he visited Nasarawa prison as part of his prisons decongestion efforts in the state.

Those released were Mohammed Ali, Mohammed Gide, Augustine Samuel, Sarki Ja’afaru, Theophilus Ogu, Benjamin Gabriel, Monday Joseph, Tame Onande, Bala Usman and Usman Bala from Lafia Prison.

Also released were Mohammed Isa, Tergu Gungur, Haruna Saidu, Emeka Obi, Ya’u Musa, Uba Kwase, Solomon Dauda, Saminu Yusuf, Godwin Michael, Ruben Ishaya, Hassan Maishanu and Emmanuel Benjamin from Keffi Prisons.

“My decision to discharge the inmates is in line the relevant laws, which empower me to decongest prisons in the state,” NAN quoted Dikko as saying.

He urged police prosecutors to reduce the numbers of witnesses to be presented to testify before the court in order to ensure speedy administration of justice in the state.

Dikko advised those released not to commit any crime that would bring them back to prison, asking them to always exhibit characters that are acceptable in the society.