THE Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Ekaete Obot has granted pardon to four inmates of Medium Security Custodial Center, Ikot Ekpene, in Ikot Ekpene local to area, including 18-year -old son and only child of a blind woman.
The teenager, from Abak local government area and the only child of his mother, who drew the attention of the State Chief Judge
was charged with extreme breach of peace, over issues relating to payment of house rent.
The pardoned teenager who had spent three months in prison, told the Chief Judge who was on inspection of the correctional facility on Thursday, that trouble started when their landlord died, leaving behind three wives and many children.
According to him, the situation led to confusion over who, among the three wives, should the house rent be paid to.
He narrated that when he paid the rent to the most senior wife, it did not augur well with the third wife, who now attacked his blind mother,
The teenager added that the development which prompted him to retaliate, led to his arrest by the Police.
Another inmate also granted pardon was Moses Sunday Akpan from Abak LGA who had spent over three years in prison custody for entering a house to steal.
Also freed was one Akaninyene Eshiet Akpan, a physically challenged, from Oruk Anam LGA, who had been in the correctional facility since 2019 for allegedly destroying economic trees in his village.
Justice Ekaete Obot who said the inmates had spent sufficient years in custody, more than the years of punishment provided for the offense they were charged, advised them to go and sin no more.
The four freed inmates were among the one-thousand-and-six inmates (1006) in the correctional center, and of the number, 25 are condemned.
The four freed inmates of Ikot Ekpene correctional centre and six in Ikot Abasi Correctional centre brings to 10, the number of inmates so far pardoned by the state CJ during the ongoing inspection of Correctional centres across the state.
Credit : THE VANGUARD.
