Ganduje Provides Land For Relocation Of Kano Central Prison
By Yakubu Salisu A, Kano
Kano state government has provided land at Janguza in the outskirts of Kano city, for the construction of a standard prison in the state.
At the moment, compensation is being paid to land owners in the area while the project contractor has mobilized to site.
The state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje announced this while receiving the new state Controller of Prisons, Alhaji Magaji Ahmed Abdullahi who visited him at the Government House.
He said the project came into being because the state government appealed to the Federal government to relocate the old Central Prison at Kurmawa, because its facilities were overstretched and arising from rapid urban growth, it has become closely surrounded by residential buildings.
Dr. Ganduje said the state government, in line with Presidential directives on prison reforms, has paid fines for some prisoners with minor offences, to facilitate their release, adding that plan was in the offing to facilitate release of more deserving prison inmates across the state.
“When we came in, we set up a committee on administration of justice which gave us insight into the situation of our courts, prisons, the Ministry of Justice and other related matters, and a Council on Prerogative of Mercy was established towards speeding up the dispensation of justice”, the governor maintained.
On the request for logistics support by the Controller of Prison, the governor promised to do something within limits of the available resources.
Earlier, the state Controller of Prisons, Alhaji Magaji Ahmed Abdullahi requested the state government to assist his organization with operational vehicles and closed circuit televisions in prisons, to enable them cope with emerging challenges.
He also requested for inclusion of his organization in the government’s monthly environmental exercises, in view of the role prison inmates in making the environment a better place for all.
He praised Governor Ganduje for taking the lead regarding prison decongestion in the country and support to prison services, hoping the trend would be maintained.
