Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state has released 70 inmates from various prisons across the state as part of activities to mark Nigeria’s 57th independence anniversary.
Crusoe Osagie, the Special Adviser to Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, said this in a statement he made available to journalists in Benin on Sunday.
He quoted the governor as saying that the 70 inmates to be released had been in prisons for a considerable time, some of them, Obaseki noted, had been in such condition for not less than two years without trial.
Obaseki said the order for the release of the inmates was a step toward improving the justice delivery system in the state and to reduce the number of awaiting trial inmates by 50 percent.
According to him, the move is also part of the Federal Government’s policy aimed at decongesting prisons. He, however, stated that the inmates would be ”sternly cautioned” to stay away from crime before they could be let go.