Lagos: Nigerian government has freed more than 4000 prisoners from jail. The decision was taken to ease overcrowding in jails. The decision was announced by interior minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
‘Yesterday, we flagged off the release of 4,068 of the 80,804 inmates in our 253 correctional facilities nationwide, who have been held in custody due to their inability to pay fines,’Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo posted in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. He made the announcement after visiting the Kuje detention centre near the capital Abuja.
Also Read: Forex Market: Indian rupee trades in narrow range against US dollar, UAE dirham
Only prisoners whose fines do not exceed one million naira have been chosen to benefit from this mass release. Also fines totalling 585 million naira (651,000 euros) have been cancelled.
According to the United Nations, Nigerian prisons have an overpopulation rate of 147 percent, and detainees can often wait years before being tried.
Post Your Comments