The Daily Trust Foundation has secured the release of 19 inmates in Niger State by paying their fines amounting to N1.2 million, as part of efforts to decongest the prisons.
The inmates both in the New and Old Correctional Centres, Minna, whose offences range from physical fight to theft, among others also received N5,000 each as fare back home.
The Director of the foundation, Dr Theophilus Abba, said the foundation had intended to extend its humanitarian support to payment of fines for inmates whose cases were fines.
“Part of activities of the foundation is humanitarian interventions. Before now, we used to take food items and toilet materials to prison. But this time around, we want to expand our scope of intervention by paying fines for inmates whose cases were civil. The essence is to give back to the society as we also benefit,” he said.
He advised the released inmates to go back home, learn skills and be good ambassadors in their communities and the country at large, adding they should appreciate God for the intervention.
In their separate remarks, the inmates thanked the Foundation for the gesture and promised not to engage in any crime that would take them back to the prison.
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