President Muhammadu Buhari has directed governors and state chief judges to release prisoners who are unnecessarily detained as part of reforms in judiciary.

According to Vanguard, the president said in Abuja on Monday that he gave the directive to the states last month and explained that over-crowding prisons and some other noticeable problems in judiciary have caused loss of confidence in the system.

Buhari spoke at the opening of the 2017 All Nigerian Judges’ Conference of Superior Courts, in Abuja.