{"id":118990,"date":"2025-05-21T18:43:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T17:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=118990"},"modified":"2025-05-21T18:43:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T17:43:34","slug":"13-inmates-freed-in-bauchi-as-philanthropist-settles-n1-million-fines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/13-inmates-freed-in-bauchi-as-philanthropist-settles-n1-million-fines\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Inmates Freed in Bauchi as Philanthropist Settles N1 Million Fines\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">No fewer than 13 inmates held at the Bauchi Correctional Centre have regained their freedom after fines totalling N1 million were paid on their behalf by a Nigerian based abroad, Uchechukwu Emmanuel Obioha, popularly known as Papiwater_DXB.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Obioha made the generous gesture to commemorate his birthday on May 20, 2025.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to Taye Abdullahi, Obioha&#8217;s friend who coordinated the inmates&#8217; release, there are plans to enrol the freed individuals into various skills acquisition centres, including shoemaking, carpentry, and plumbing. Abdullahi stated that the initiative aims to provide a second chance for those who were incarcerated due to their inability to pay fines, enabling them to reintegrate positively into society.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Obioha expressed hope that all those who regained their liberty would seize the opportunity to become law-abiding citizens and reunite successfully with their families.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the freed inmates, 30-year-old tailor Musa Ahmad, recounted how he resorted to petty stealing after losing his tailoring shop to recent demolitions of illegal structures by the Bauchi State Government. The State Government had issued notices last year, leading to the demolition of shops and structures along major roads in the state&#8217;s urban centers earlier this year.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;I am a resident of Kofar Gombe, I&#8217;m a tailor, but since the government demolished our shops, we are left with nothing. Feeding has been so difficult for us. I was arrested by the police for stealing and sentenced to six months in jail. But I thank God for everything; I don&#8217;t wish to go back there again. I thank the man who paid for my fine.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another beneficiary, Nasiru Abubakar, conveyed his gratitude to his benefactor, stating he had accepted his fate and was prepared to serve out his six-month term. Abubakar explained he was arrested by police after some youths attacked a suya (roasted meat) seller in Bauchi metropolis. \u201cSome of my friends had stolen roasted meat and gave me a portion of about N100. I was eating when the police arrested me while others fled,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Similarly, Hassan Umar, a mechanic, was arrested at midnight along Sabon Gari road, Bauchi metropolis, while heading home from his workshop. \u201cWe were taken to the Police station; they asked us to pay N5,000, but I could not afford it, and we were charged to court where they sentenced us to six months jail before this man paid our fines,\u201d Umar recounted.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">All the beneficiaries collectively thanked Obioha for his intervention, acknowledging that without his help, they would have remained in prison. They promised to turn a new leaf, live responsible lives, and distance themselves from any criminal activities that could lead to their re-incarceration.<\/div>\n<div class=\"yj6qo\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"adL\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lizzy Chirkpi No fewer than 13 inmates held at the Bauchi Correctional Centre have regained their freedom after fines totalling N1 million were paid on their behalf by a&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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