Ebonyi State first Lady, Mary-maudline Nwifuru has paid fines of 41 male inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service Custodial Centre, Abakaliki who were convicted with option of fines.
Among them is a 16-year old boy, Ogobuchi Ikebe who was convicted for stealing Bluetooth.
Addressing the freed inmates, Mrs Nwifuru urged them to shun crime to avoid going back to the prison.
“We will continue to give hope to the inmates,” Mrs. Nwifuru said.
In an interview, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ben Odo disclosed that 31 of the female inmates in the centre are facing capital offences of murder.
He said the Centre has a total of 1,265 inmates out of which 31 of them are females.
Odo said none of the 31 female inmates were among the released inmates as they were facing capital offences.
He added that if they are convicted, they would be transferred to Enugu maximum prison where those on death sentence are kept, awaiting execution.
One of the freed male inmates, Nwafor Emmanuel, 26, said he has been in the prison since August last year and commended Mrs. Nwifuru for freeing him.
He disclosed that he witnessed the death of five persons in the prison and vowed not to go back to the offence that took him to the prison.
“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,” he said.
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