A butcher in Adamawa State, Umaru Usman from Shelleng Local Government Area, has regained his freedom after serving 17 years in prison over a N150,000 debt.
Usman was earlier sentenced to 17 years imprisonment by the Shelleng Area Court on charges of criminal breach of trust and cheating, and was remanded at the Numan Correctional Centre.
InfoStride News reports that his release followed the visit of a special court panel constituted to decongest correctional centres by reviewing questionable convictions, which inspected the facility in Numan.
He was subsequently freed by the Adamawa State Jail Delivery Committee, led by the state Chief Judge, Justice Hapsat Abdulrahman, during an official jail delivery tour at the Numan Custodial Centre.
The committee, however, ordered Usman to pay the outstanding N150,000 to his creditor as a condition for closure of the civil component of the matter.
During his appearance before the panel, Usman admitted obtaining rams for his business under an agreement to pay the owner after sales.
He told the committee that he made a partial payment but was unable to offset the full amount, leaving an outstanding balance of N150,000.
The former inmate has now returned home, with PRP stakeholders and legal observers describing the jail delivery intervention as a critical safe.
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