Thirty-one inmates of the Sokoto Central Prison have been freed after the state Zakkat and Endowment Commission paid off their fines.
Chairman of the Commission, Lawal Maidoki said, “The gesture was extended to the beneficiaries in the spirit of the ongoing Ramadan fast, which is a month of mercy.”
He added that it was aimed at complementing efforts to reduce the congestion in the prison.
Maidoki said the freed inmates were also given N10,000 each as transport fare to their various homes in parts of the state.
He said the funds for the gestures were provided by the state government and an unnamed philanthropist. They gave N1 million each, he added.
The Commission Chairman counseled the beneficiaries to shun criminalities.
