Rivers State government has granted pardon to additional forty-six inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Port Harcourt.
This takes the number of pardoned inmates in one week from the facility to 56 after ten inmates were granted pardon by the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simoen Amadi last week.
The action followed the directive of the CJ for Chief Magistrates to be deployed to the Correctional Centre to hear cases and release inmates detained for minor offences.
Some of the released inmates while expressing joy for their freedom, commended the Chief Judge of Rivers State for the initiative.
They promised never to go back to the crime that brought them to the Correctional facility.
According to a statement by the Acting Chief Registrar of the High court of Rivers State, David Ihua-Maduenyi, court officials, legal officers of the Rivers State Ministry of Justice, the Rivers State Police Command, personnel of the Legal Aid Council among other stakeholders were present at the special court session.