The Chief Judge of Niger state, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik Thursday granted amnesty to 19 inmates of the Old and New Correctional Centres in Minna, Niger state.
The inmates most of whom were awaiting trial got their freedom during working visit of the Chief Judge to the correctional facility to decongest the prisons.
Records of the visit showed that 13 inmates were released at the Minna Old Correctional Centre while six were freed at the New Correctional Centre Minna.
Justice Halima Abdulmalik, it was learnt, commenced the visit to the Correctional Centres in Minna on Monday and spent three days at the old prison before rounding up the exercise on Thursday at the new prison.
However, among those who got freedom based on the magnanimity of the Chief Judge, were Kabiru Salihu and Umar Garba who have been incarcerated for over three years at the facility without trial.
When the CJ asked for their case files, the police prosecutor explained that the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case had died while the case files could not be traced.
The Director of Legal Aides Council in Niger state, Barrister Jibowu thereafter made application for the release of the accused persons, arguing that the police gave same excuse last year during a similar visit.
She prayed the Chief Judge to free the accused persons because the prosecutor could not establish case against them.
Justice Halima Abdulmalik thereafter ruled that the accused persons cannot continue to remain in detention without charges against them. She therefore ordered their release from the prison.
