From: Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Betty Akeredolu, has given relief materials including foods and other domestic items to prison inmates serving jail term at the Nigerian Prison, Owo.
Mrs. Akeredolu, who bemoaned the condition of the prisoners, called on concerned authorities to ensure prompt dispensation of justice in order to decongest prisons in the country.
She also stressed the need for the judiciary to ensure that innocent persons are not punished unjustly, just as she called for justice on all issues relating to the inmates.
The Governor’s wife, who decried cases of false accusation, said the judiciary should do everything possible to ensure that only those who erred are punished, while innocent people are not made to suffer.
Mrs. Akeredolu also charged the inmates not to lose hope, saying their present position could not be used as a parameter to determine their future.
She disclosed that the materials presented to the inmates were procured through the support of the 2017 International Women’s Day Celebration Committee in the state.
She said “this is a small way of showing our love and concern to the inmates. It is therefore expedient on the federal government to rehabilitate the prisons because from all indications, this prison and others across the country need total rehabilitation.”
Responding, representative of the Comptroller General of Prisons, Mr. Adedeji Adekunle, said the donations by the wife of the governor were unexpected and assured that the materials will be given to the inmates. He said the materials will go a long way at putting smile on the faces of the inmates and ameliorate their sufferings.
Some of the items donated include mattresses, pillows, foodstuff, first aid box, food ingredients, mosquito nets and toiletries among others.