The Adamawa State judiciary, in partnership with the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), has discharged 57 inmates and granted bail to 29 others as part of the ongoing decongestion of correctional centres in the state.

The chief judge of Adamawa, Hafsat Abdulrahman, disclosed this at the end of the ongoing jail delivery exercise at the Jimeta Custodial Centre, Yola, on Friday.

She said the committee had also reviewed the sentences of three inmates and 52 non-convicted inmates.

“The PPDC has paid the fines for four inmates who were convicted with an option of a fine and have been discharged,” she said.

Ms Abdulraham advised the beneficiaries to be good citizens in society and not to commit any crimes again.

According to her, most of them committed minor offences and are not worthy of staying.

She added that, if allowed to stay longer, they might graduate to associate with those who committed serious crimes.

In her address, Motunrayo Anibaba, the state PPDC programme manager, stated that PPDC had earmarked N1 million to support the clearance of fines for convicted detainees in the state.

“One of our aims is to reduce overcrowding in custodial centres across Adamawa, and this is one of the ways we will achieve that,” she said.

According to her, the initiative falls under the Reforming Pretrial Detention in Nigeria Project (Phase II), aimed at strengthening justice delivery systems and safeguarding the rights and dignity of persons in detention.

She appreciated the cordial relationship between the centre and the justice sector.

Haggai Audu, who spoke on behalf of the released inmates, expressed their appreciation for the gesture and assured that they would strive to be of good character and contribute positively to society.

(NAN)