No fewer than 31 female inmates are facing a murder trial at the Nigerian Correctional Service Custodial Centre in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ben Odo, disclosed this to journalists at the custodial centre on Tuesday, when Mrs. Mary-Maudline Uzoamaka Nwifuru paid fines for 41 male inmates convicted with the option of fines, securing their freedom.
A 16-year-old boy, Ogobuchi Ikebe, convicted of stealing a Bluetooth device, was among those released by Mrs. Nwifuru.
The Abakaliki Correctional Service Custodial Centre has 1,265 inmates, of which 31 are female.
Odo said none of the 31 female inmates was among the released prisoners, as they are facing capital offences.
He noted that if convicted, they would be transferred to the Enugu Maximum Prison, where those on death row are held awaiting execution.
“We have 1,265 inmates here at the Nigerian Correctional Service Custodial Centre in Abakaliki. Of those, 31 are female, and all have capital offences attached to their cases, including murder. The matter is still ongoing in court, and they have not been sentenced. This is why all the inmates whose fines were paid are male,” Odo explained.
“The 31 female inmates still have ongoing court cases, and because they have not yet been sentenced, we cannot pay fines for those whose cases are not concluded. If convicted, the implication is that they will not remain here.
Anyone convicted of murder or other capital offences will be transferred to Enugu Maximum Prison, where death-sentenced inmates are held,” Odo said.
One of the freed male inmates, Nwafor Emmanuel, 26, said he had been in prison since August last year and commended Mrs. Nwifuru for securing his release.
He disclosed that he had witnessed the deaths of five individuals in prison and vowed not to return to a life of crime.
“The conditions in the prison are very poor. I have witnessed no less than five deaths here, and I vow never to do anything that will bring me back to prison. I want to thank the wife of our dear governor for securing my release.
I was convicted for stealing an electricity generator,” he said.
Addressing the freed inmates, Mrs. Nwifuru urged them to shun crime and avoid returning to prison.
She assured them that she would continue to fight for the less privileged in society. (The PUNCH)
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