By Luka Binniyat/Mayen Etim, Kaduna
In discharging their social responsibility to the community, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kaduna State Council yesterday secured the release of 10 inmates from the Kaduna Prison to mark its Press Week.

Among the ten released was a teenager, Adamu Ibrahim (18) who was jailed two years with an option of N5000 (five thousand Naira) fine for failing to pay for N300 meal at a restaurant last month.

The Chairman of NUJ, Kaduna State Council, Comrade Yusuf Idris said the decision to secure the release of these prisoners is to practicalize what NUJ is preaching for wealthy Nigerians to do, so as to decongest prisons in the country.

Comrade Idris said:” As journalists we know that most at times when we talk about prison and prisoners, the main thing   we call on the government, wealthy individuals or philanthropists to do is to find a way of assisting the government to decongest the prisons, because wherever you go around, Nigerian prisons are congested.

There is no expansion; there are a lot of criminal activities on a daily basis which means that lots of prisoners are being taken to these prisons and as such we want to say that every effort must be made by individuals to find a way of decongesting the prisons.

“We want to see prisons as reformative centres, such that there should be some kind of skills that inmates could learn so that at the end of their jail terms, they can come out and be useful to themselves, families and the nation at large”, he said.

The inmates were further   assisted   financially by   Comrade Yusuf Idris   who handed them   some   token for transportation back to their various destinations after their freedom was   secured. In his own remark, the Deputy Comptroller of Prison, Kaduna, Williams Ahmadu Bossan applauded the kind gesture of NUJ as according to him; “ it is a welcome development as the prison is congested.”

“This morning our count shows that we have 837 inmates. This is against a capacity of 547 which it was built. This shows that the prison is congested. So by releasing these inmates the number is reduced.

According to DCP Bossan, by releasing this 10 inmates it has further help to decongest the prison, and call on wealthy individuals, NGOs to emulate the NUJ.

One of the beneficiaries, Adamu Ibrahim (18), who was visibly rejoicing over the gesture, spoke to correspondents on how he came to prison.

Said Adamu: “My name is Adamu Ibrahim, I was born here, but my parents come from Adamawa state. They are very poor and they can hardly feed us. I am learning how to be a carpenter with my master at Unguwas Shanu (a suburb of Kaduna). One evening, I cannot remember the month, we were hungry, me and some friends of mine. We did not have any money on us.

So, somebody among suggested that we go and eat at one restaurant at Unguwan Shanu and then run away. So we went and ate. Before I could finish my meal, my friends ran away. So I was caught. I tried to fight my way out, but was overcome. My share of the food was N300. That was how I was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment or pay a fine of N5000. My parent could not pay. So I am very grateful and happy that I will be going home.

“I will never do this again. I will go back to learn my carpentry work, and I will be very serious”, he promised