NIGERIA (Bauchi)- The Chief Judge of Bauchi State, Ibrahim Mohammed Zango, has pardoned 44 inmates of the Bauchi State Central Prison as part of efforts to decongest the prisons in the state.

In a statement released by the Nigeria Prison Service Command’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Adam, the freed inmates were those awaiting trials on minor cases and have stayed longer than necessary.

The statement quoted Justice Zango as saying that prison congestion can cause security breach in the prisons, and assured that the exercise will be a continuing process.

Speaking about the development, the Bauchi State Comptroller of Prisons, Mallam Ado Ahmed, praised the efforts of the Chief Judge and other stakeholders for making the prisons in the state conducive for the inmates.

The Controller revealed that out of the 893, 723 inmates in the state, 81% of them are awaiting trials, while 170 [19%] are convicts.
He charged the freed inmates to be of good behavior.