AGF, others free 127 prisoners

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami (SAN), Minister of the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT), Mohammed Bello and the FCT Chief Judge, Justice Ishaq Bello
were at the Kuje prison, Abuja, on Thursday to effect the release
of 127 inmates.

The trio, former Attorney General of Ekiti State, Olawale
Fapohunda and many others were in the prison in furtherance of the
activities of the National Stakeholders Committee on Prison Reform
and Decongestion.

Members of the committee arrived the prison premises at about
10:00 a.m. and left around 1:00 p.m. after examining cases, some of
which were reviewed.

They granted bail to some inmates and while those conviction
albeit with option of fines were released after guaranteeing the
payment of their fines.

One of the 127 convicts granted freedom was 33-year old
Abdullahi Umar, who was convicted at 16 years for culpable homicide
and sentenced to death.

The government of Sokoto State where he hails from commuted his
sentence to life imprisonment. He was freed on Thursday by the
Stakeholders Committee on grounds of good conduct after spending
about 17 years as a condemned prisoner.

Another beneficiary of the committee’s activities was a 60-year
old Musa Abdullahi, who had spent eight years as awaiting trial
inmate.

Abdullahi, with long grey beards, told the committee that he was
arrested in 2009 on his way to visit his children in Kaduna.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami (SAN), Minister of the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT), Mohammed Bello and the FCT Chief Judge, Justice Ishaq Bello
were at the Kuje prison, Abuja, on Thursday to effect the release
of 127 inmates.

The trio, former Attorney General of Ekiti State, Olawale
Fapohunda and many others were in the prison in furtherance of the
activities of the National Stakeholders Committee on Prison Reform
and Decongestion.

Members of the committee arrived the prison premises at about
10:00 a.m. and left around 1:00 p.m. after examining cases, some of
which were reviewed.

They granted bail to some inmates and while those conviction
albeit with option of fines were released after guaranteeing the
payment of their fines.

One of the 127 convicts granted freedom was 33-year old
Abdullahi Umar, who was convicted at 16 years for culpable homicide
and sentenced to death.

The government of Sokoto State where he hails from commuted his
sentence to life imprisonment. He was freed on Thursday by the
Stakeholders Committee on grounds of good conduct after spending
about 17 years as a condemned prisoner.

Another beneficiary of the committee’s activities was a 60-year
old Musa Abdullahi, who had spent eight years as awaiting trial
inmate.

Abdullahi, with long grey beards, told the committee that he was
arrested in 2009 on his way to visit his children in Kaduna.