Democracy Day: Abbas secures freedom for 21 Zaria inmates, pays N17.5m fines

TSpeaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has facilitated the release of 21 inmates from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Zaria, Kaduna State, as part of activities marking the 2026 Democracy Day celebration.

The intervention involved the payment of N17.506 million to cover fines and other financial obligations that had prevented the inmates from regaining their freedom.

Speaking during a visit to the facility on Friday, Abbas said most of the beneficiaries were serving sentences linked to minor offences but had remained in custody because they could not afford court-imposed fines.

He expressed concern over the situation, noting that some inmates had spent extended periods behind bars over relatively small sums.

According to him, it was troubling that certain inmates were still incarcerated because they could not pay fines of less than N100,000.

Explaining the purpose of the visit, the Speaker said he deliberately chose to spend Democracy Day with inmates and correctional personnel in order to assess conditions within the facility.

“I have chosen to celebrate Democracy Day by visiting places of this nature to see with my own eyes how inmates are faring and how personnel are running the facility.”

Abbas praised the management of the custodial centre, saying the environment was well maintained despite operational challenges.

“What I have seen is quite gladdening. There is improvement in the cleanliness of the facility and the morale of staff is high. The inmates also appear to be in good health.”

He said findings from the inspection would be presented to the National Assembly to support future interventions through budgetary allocations.

The Speaker identified the facility’s clinic, school and vocational training centre as areas requiring immediate attention.

He noted that the clinic was in poor condition and required urgent rehabilitation to improve healthcare services available to inmates.

Abbas also called for the renovation of the centre’s school to provide a more suitable environment for educational programmes, while promising support for the upgrade of the skills acquisition centre to strengthen vocational training and improve the prospects of inmates after their release.

As part of the visit, he donated 21 motorcycles to personnel of the custodial centre to ease transportation difficulties and improve staff welfare.

He reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to supporting reforms and initiatives aimed at improving correctional facilities and enhancing the welfare of both inmates and correctional officers nationwide.

In a separate intervention, Abbas distributed 1,000 motorcycles to primary and secondary school teachers across Zaria Federal Constituency to assist their mobility and ease transportation challenges.