A total of 100 inmates were set free from the Kirikiri Medium Prison, Lagos State on Thursday as part of initiatives of the Nigerian Prisons Service at de-congesting the prisons.
The Controller of Prisons in Lagos State, Tunde Ladipo, told newsmen in Lagos that most of the affected inmates were arrested for minor offences ranging from street trading to wandering.
The prison boss said a philanthropist, who pleaded anonymity, offered to settle the fines meted on the inmates.
Ladipo said: “The philanthropist wrote a letter to the NPS that he wants to provide food items to the inmates, but I suggested to him that it is better to pay their fines to regain freedom since they were given an option of fine.
“Most of them were arrested on minor offences, but because they cannot afford the fines they were remanded.
“The prison is congested already and we needed to de-congest it.”
Ladipo advised the inmates to stay away from crime-prone areas and engage in legitimate jobs in order to stay out of prison.
Pastor Taiwo Olaoye, who represented the philanthropist, urged the inmates to be good ambassadors of their families and the country.
Olaoye said the beneficiaries would be trained in various vocations to make them self-reliant.
