Theft Suspect Freed After Receiving 30 Lashes
The Chief Judge of Zamfara State, Justice Kulu Aliyu, on Thursday ordered that a man accused of theft be given 30 strokes of the cane before setting him free from the Gummi Prison.
The suspect, Abdullahi Garba, 40, who was accused of stealing sheep, had been languishing in prison custody for the past six months without his trial being concluded, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The CJ, who was in Gummi in continuation of her statewide tour of prisons, also set free a handset thief, Sufiyanu Sani, who was also serving a six-month jail term at the prison.
She, however, denied amnesty to one Najib Musa who was accused of homosexuality.
The accused had pleaded with the CJ to release him from custody.
He claimed that he wanted to perform the lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia to ask for God’s mercy for his crime. The chief judge ordered the Gummi Sharia Court to further investigate the charge against him as it was a sin against the community.
Aliyu, however, expressed concern over the poor condition of prison yards in the state. She urged local councils to assist in the rehabilitation development of the prison yards.
The chief judge said it was only when the prisons were made habitable that inmates would be healthy.
She said such prisoners would then be made to feel that they were part of the society.
According to her, this would make their rehabilitation after their jail terms easier.
NAN reports that the CJ has been on a tour of the state as part of this year’s Judiciary Week activity.
During the tour, she visited prison facilities and reviewed some cases.
Source: Legit.ng
