Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Governor Simon Ober Mawut on Thursday released 79 inmates, including juveniles, women, and the elderly, who were imprisoned for minor crimes and failing to pay fines.
The President of the High Court in Aweil, Judge Abraham Majur Alan, said the state government, on the directives of the governor, paid a sum of SSP 4.4 million in fines to release the inmates who included 64 males and 15 females.
“Today (Thursday), we are at Awiel Central Prison and the state government has paid fines totaling SSP 4,460,000 to release inmates who were sentenced by different courts to pay fines between SSP 30,000 and 150,000,” he explained. “On behalf of the judiciary, we thank the government under the leadership of Governor Simon Ober Mawut for this move because it helps in decongesting the high number of inmates in the prison.”
Speaking to the press during the function, Governor Mawut said the release of the prisoners marks the start of Christmas and New Year 2025 celebrations.
“You all know that three days ago when I was giving my Christmas message to the people of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, I directed the prison service and other relevant authorities to consider releasing some inmates and we were targeting juveniles, women, and the elderly who committed petty crimes,” he said. “By doing this, we are addressing two main challenges; it will help to decongest the prison and we are also reducing the spread of contagious diseases because this prison was meant to accommodate 170 inmates but this morning I was given a parade of 771 inmates.”
The Director of the Prison Service in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Gen. Dhieu Lual Akok, also thanked the governor for releasing the 79 inmates and supporting the prison service.
“Aweil Central Prison was designed for only 150 prisoners but now houses 694 inmates which has led to overcrowding resulting in regular outbreaks of diseases,” he said.
Gen. Akok urged the government and partners to support the prison service to construct more buildings.