In the spirit of yuletide, no fewer than 19 inmates awaiting trial for various civil offences in Uyo prison, regained freedom yesterday in Akwa Ibom State.
Courtesy of a special intervention of the Deputy Chief Whip of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Otuekong Nse Essien, the prisoners were left off the hook and asked to “go and sin no more”.
Essien, the lawmaker representing the Onna State Constituency, explained that the gesture became necessary in order to “help the 19 youths to make meaning out of their lives”.
The freed inmates were to pay various fines as punishment for their crimes, but had to be confined to the prison walls.
Essien, who had demonstrated similar gesture to five inmates last year, enjoined those still in prison, to turn a new leaf and pray for God’s benevolence for their freedom to also come, some day.
Essien, who was recently conferred with the traditional title of Obong Unwana (the shining light) of his Ikot Akpan Nko community, for his philanthropic gestures, said he would stop at nothing to show love to the less privileged in the society.
He stressed the need for reforms that would make prisons to be centres for character molding, instead of “a place where people go with the mindset of punishment”
“Prisons should be seen as reform centres instead of a place where culprits go to become hardened criminals and cultist”, he stressed.
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