Nairobi/Kinshasa  - A minister in the Democratic Republic of Congo has freed 12 goats awaiting trial in a Kinshasa jail for being sold illegally by the roadside, news reports said Wednesday.

The BBC reported that Deputy Justice Minister Claude Nyamugabo found the goats crammed into a cell with other prisoners during a routine visit.

Nyamugabo said that the police officers responsible for arresting the goats would be sent for retraining. (dpa)