By Anak Dut

The Governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Simon Ober Mawut, on Friday oversaw the release of 79 inmates from the Aweil Central Prison in Norther Bhar el Ghazal State. The move followed the Governor’s directive in his Christmas Message.

Ober, in his message, advised that the inmates be released to reintegrate into their communities as responsible citizens by engaging in productive activities and to avoid being caught again on the wrong side of the law.

“Before we conclude this year, I direct the prison service and other relevant authorities to release 50 prisoners detained for committing petty crimes, including juveniles, women, and the elderly. This will help decongest the prison facilities, contain the spread of contagious diseases, and allow them to reunite with their families during this festive season,” the Governor had stated in his Christmas message.

The 79 inmates had been detained at the prison for committing minor offenses. According to a statement from the Governor’s Press Unit, the move to pardon the inmates was aimed at preventing spread of contagious diseases, decongesting the prison facilities and to reunite the individuals with their families during this festive season.

The Office of the Governor paid SSP 4.4m to secure the release of the inmates, majority of who were juvenile, two pregnant women, one elderly woman and one teenage girl with special needs.

According to Maj. Gen. Dhieu Luach, the Director of Aweil Central Prison, the facility was built with a capacity of 150 inmates, but currently holds 771, causing overcrowding, shortage of food for inmates and spread of contagious diseases.

In August, government authorities in Aweil East County released 30 inmates from the Wanyok Central Prison. The detainees had earlier been charged with different offenses by the Aweil East County Court (AECC) but were unable to pay fines or obligations to their rightful owners.

Hope Africa South Sudan (HASS), a national organization, would come to their rescue and pay for their release. Most of the released detainees thanked the organization for coming to their aid, with one of them, Akook Manon, urging citizens to avoid committing so that they would not face the same situation in the future.

Following the move by Governor Ober to release the inmates, many citizens showered him with praises, commending him for offering them a Christmas gift.

Tito Maluil Maluidit, commenting on the development said: “Excellent initiative. Great appreciation to his Excellency for releasing them. But we will not tolerate any criminal activities from those that have been released today so that they are detained again. Thank you, Governor, for your generosity and the efforts you are making to your people.”