The FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, has secured the immediate release of five inmates who could not pay their fines at the Kuje Correctional Service using her May salary.
Aliyu made the donation while felicitating with the inmates as part of activities to celebrate this year’s Eid el-Fitr.
A statement issued by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Austine Elemue, on Tuesday in Abuja stated that the donation would contribute to the decongestion of the Correctional Service already overcrowded with inmates in view of COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, Aliyu assured the inmates that the FCT administration would take further legal steps to see to the decongestion of the Kuje correctional service.
Her words: “I will not only support the reduction, but I will also lend my voice in the reduction of prison inmates by picking up some bills.
“I will carry out the campaign and speak to well-meaning Nigerians because you cannot leave the burden of good governance to government alone.
“We know that some of you are awaiting trial, we know that some have not been tried at all, but provided there is law, we will not be lawless.
“We will go by the law and get in well-meaning Nigerians and pay up the fines. This will also go a long way to reduce the number, besides government pronouncements.
“We know Mr. President recently spoke our minds when he spoke about the need to decongest our prisons.
“And I know my minister, a God fearing man, and a man with a heart of gold, he will certainly send message across. God willing, FCT administration will make moves to decongest our prison based on merit.
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“I in my own capacity, I stand here personally on this Sallah day, I want to donate my salary for the release of 5 inmates.”
Aliyu noted that the correctional service had been positioned to refine the inmates do they can contribute to the rebuilding of the society.
“There are times in our life that we erred, but to err is human, and to forgive is divine.
“There are times in our life that we are put to test, sometimes, we pass the test, sometimes we fail.
“For various reasons, we may have found ourselves at the correctional centre. But you know what, you can make the best out of it.
“As we appreciate you, we pray for you to come out to be better citizens that will give us a Nigeria of our dreams.
“Somebody else cannot give us Nigeria of our dreams and you cannot give us Nigeria of our dreams from outside, you can only give us Nigeria of our dream from within and I know you are already at the preparatory stage.
“When you leave here either by amnesty or whatever pronouncements, you can only become better citizens,” Aliyu stated.
Earlier, the Comptroller, Correctional Service, FCT Command, Mustapha Atta, who commended the minister for her visit, expressed displeasure over the number of inmates awaiting trial.
