The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has dismissed as untrue insinuations that Maryam Sanda was among those granted presidential amnesty last week.

The service maintained there was no iota of truth in the rumour that she has been set free.

A statement from the Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comtroller, Augustine Njoku, maintained that Maryam Sanda remains in custody.

She was not among the 70 inmates at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, who were granted presidential pardon because she was not qualified for it, Njoku insisted.

He said: “The Service wants to categorically state that the news is fake and very unrealistic and an attempt to rubbish the good intention of the President towards decongesting the custodial centre.”

Njoku said the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, clearly stated the categories of inmates qualified for the amnesty which include:

• Convicts who are Sixty (60) years and above
• Convicts serving 3 years and above with less than 6 months to serve
• Inmates with ill-health likely to terminate in death
• Inmates with mental ill-health
• Inmates with option of fine not exceeding N50,000 with no pending case
• Convicted pregnant women
• Convicted women with child
• Convicted inmates with minor offences
• Convicted inmates who spent 75% of their sentence after remission.”

“It obvious that Maryam Sanda does not meet any of the above mentioned requirements and therefore did not benefit from the Presidential Pardon/Clemency.

We further want to assure the public that Maryam Sanda is in our custody and will remain as such.

“The Controller General of Corrections Ja’afaru Ahmed wishes to assure the public that the Service will ensure the safety and humane containment of the inmates in our custody and therefore advice the public to discountenance the rumor that Maryam Sanda benefited from the presidential pardon,” he asserted.