The Ebonyi State government under the leadership of Governor Francis Nwifuru has granted amnesty to 159 inmates of the Abakaliki Custodial Centre. The freed inmates were those arrested by the security agencies due to communal war which started between the Effium and Ezza-Effium communities in Ohaukwu local government of Ebonyi State in 2021. The detainees have since been in incarceration for about four years.
During his official visit to the correctional center, Francis Nwifuru granted amnesty to the 159 inmates. In his speech on Tuesday, Nwifuru noted that this decision was not made without the recommendation of a ‘peace restoration’ seven-man committee led by Bishop Michael Nnachi Okoro.
“They are not being exonerated from accountability; rather, they are being given a second chance to contribute positively to their communities and to the state at large. This amnesty is conditional upon their commitment to peace, their willingness to renounce violence, and their active participation in the rehabilitation programmes that will be put in place”.
In her reaction, Controller of the Abakaliki Medium Security Custodial Centre, Mrs. Bessie Offem, commended the governor for the amnesty which she said will help in the decongestion of the centre. Expressing its necessity, she lamented that the facility has been extremely overstretched, posing a strong security threat to the state.
