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UK to Release Thousands of Prisoners Early to Avert Crisis
Starting in September, thousands of prisoners in the UK will be released early to prevent the prison system from collapsing, announced Shabana Mahmood, the new justice minister. The prison population in England and Wales has reached critical levels, with just 700 spaces left for men and facilities operating at 99% capacity since 2023. Mahmood, appointed following Labour’s general election victory, warned of severe consequences if action isn’t taken, including a potential breakdown of law and order. Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, also emphasized the urgent need for action as prisons are at “breaking point.”
The early release plan will not include violent offenders, sex offenders, domestic abusers, or those serving life sentences. Only prisoners eligible for automatic release after serving half their sentence will be freed earlier, now after serving 40% of their sentence. The total number of prisoners recently exceeded 87,505, with over 83,800 men, leaving just 1,451 available spaces. To address this, the government is also building six new prisons to create an additional 20,000 places.
The Prison Governors’ Association welcomed the measures but called for a comprehensive review to prevent similar situations in the future. PGA chairman Mark Fairhurst stated that the early releases would free up around 4,500-5,000 spaces, providing 12 to 18 months of relief before further measures are needed.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has commended the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for its use of technology to combat fraud and improve its operations.
He praised the NYSC for the transformation it has undergone and its use of technology to improve the deployment of corps members.
He said “I would like to commend you for all the transformation that you have brought to NYSC and the use of technology to ensure seamless operations and deployment of Corps Members.”
The NYSC has continued to strengthen its use of technology as part of efforts to tackle fraud, improve its processes and enhance the deployment of corps members.
It has been reported that there was an attack on the convoy of Peter Obi in Benue State as a crowd supporting the presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 elections was reportedly attacked.
The incident reportedly resulted in more than 10 youths sustaining injuries.
The injured victims were taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi, for treatment. A hospital official confirmed that more than 10 wounded people were brought in for urgent medical attention.
Peter Obi has called for an investigation into the incident and accused the Special Assistant to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Youths of masterminding the attack and mobilising youths to stop the support movement.
The hospital official said: “Over 10 wounded victims were brought in here yesterday for urgent medical attention. They are being treated. I don’t know where they came from. We don’t know whether they were involved in Peter Obi’s incident yesterday or not.”
Kwara State is planning to increase livestock production in the state and create higher incomes for farmers and pastoralists.
The commissioner shared “Our ultimate objective is to move Kwara from livestock keeping to a commercially driven livestock economy capable of creating jobs, improving food security, strengthening rural livelihoods and increasing the income of farmers and pastoralists,” .
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