The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Ebonyi State, Mr. Ben Odoh has disclosed that there are 31 female inmates in Abakaliki prison that are facing murder charges.
Mr. Odoh made the disclosure when he accompanied the state’s First Lady, Mrs. Maudline Nwifuru on a visit to the Abakaliki Custodial Centre earlier in the week.
During the visit, Mrs. Nwifuru paid fines on behalf of 41 inmates whose convictions had option of fine. The inmate which included a 16 year old teenager , Ogobuchi Ikebe who was convicted of stealing a phone Bluetooth device expressed profound gratitude to the wife of the governor for assisting them to leave the custodial centre alive.
Speaking on the state of the custodial centre, the Commissioner for Justice disclosed that the Abakaliki Custodial Centre currently houses 1, 265 inmates among whom were the 31 female inmates facing capital offences.
While admonishing the freed inmates, Mrs. Nwifuru urged them to live a changed life to ensure they do not go back to the custodial facility, promising that “We will continue to give hope to the inmates.”
Responding to gesture of Mrs. Nwifuru, one of the freed inmates, Nwafor Emmanuel told journalists that “The condition of inmates in the prison is very pathetic. I witnessed not less than five deaths in the prison and I will not do anything that will take me back to the prison.
“I want to thank the wife of our dear governor for securing my release. I was convicted for stealing an electricity generating set.”