De Norsemen Kclub Incorporated, DNKI, Akwa Ibom Chapter has secured the release of two inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Ikot Abasi, by paying the stipulated fines attached to their sentences in a gesture that formed part of the organization’s events to mark the 2019 World Humanitarian Day.
Governor, DNKI, Akwa Ibom State Chapter, Dr. David Umoh while receiving the freed inmate advised them to repent and ensure they do not go back to crime or risk facing another period of incarceration or worse. He also advised other inmates of the facility to put their faith in God and remain hopeful for a better future, adding that their time behind bars should serve as a lesson for their past mistakes.
In his remarks, International President DNKI, Dr. Adeshola Giwa, who was represented by the organization’s Director, Project K9, Saint Kingsley, said the gesture by the Akwa Ibom Chapter of the organization is in line with the organization’s Project K9 which seeks to work at de-congesting prisons and enhance reintegration of former convicts.
Furthermore, the Deputy Legal Adviser of DNKI and coordinator of Project K9 in Akwa Ibom State, Barr. Alfred Effiong stated that apart from efforts at de-congesting prisons, they would also work towards offering pro bono services to inmates who do not have or cannot afford legal representatives and ensure justice is not denied anyone.
One of inmates who spoke on behalf of others expressed gratitude to DNKI for volunteering to pay the fine for two of them, as well as the food items and toiletries they brought, disclosing that this rare act of charity is a confirmation that there is hope for those in correctional facilities.
Assistant Controller of Prison, ACP, Effanga Effanga, the officer in charge of Ikot Abasi Correctional centre lauded the gesture of DNKI and called for similar support and collaboration from other groups and well meaning citizens.
The high point of the event was the formal walk out to freedom by Inyeneobong Joshua (m) and Lucky Amos (m) whose fine options of one hundred and twenty thousand naira and one hundred and thirty thousand were respectively paid and a release warrant secured by the Norsemen Kclub as well as a financial startup package that would fast track their reintegration into the society. Both expressed profound gratitude to the organization for their act of kindness and pledged to stay away from crime.
