Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Taraba on Tuesday paid off the prescribed fines to secure freedom for three inmates of the Jalingo Prisons.
The move was part of a scheme undertaken by the Legal Aid Community Development Service of the NYSC in the state.
The freed prisoners are Kabiru Audu, Moses Shonpo and Bitrus Abaku, who were convicted for smoking marijuana and stealing, among other offences.
The President of Legal Aid CDS Group, Malam Muktar Aliyu who showed the receipts for the fine payments to newsmen, said the effort was to help in decongesting the prisons.
He said the Jalingo Prisons was already overcrowded with inmates.
“The group is out to provide free legal services and support to the less privileged in the society,’’ Aliyu said.
He, however, said he was worried that the Jalingo Prisons, which had the capacity to contain 250 inmates, was over-stretched with over 500 inmates.
“Government must do everything possible to improve the well-being of the prisoners,’’ Aliyu said.
Bala Kitsam, an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons who represented the Deputy Comptroller of Jalingo Prisons, commended the corps members for the initiative.
“The released inmates must be of good conduct now that they are free,’’ he said.(NAN)
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