By Amara Agha, Abakaliki
The Wife of the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Mrs. Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, has secured the release of 25 inmates from the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Abakaliki, as part of her 2025 Yuletide prison outreach.
The exercise, carried out on Monday, saw the First Lady pay the fines imposed on the inmates, paving the way for their freedom and reintegration into society through her BERWO Foundation in collaboration with the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice.
Controller of the Nigerian Correctional Service in the state, Mrs. Angela Chika Igwugwu, described the visit as a rare demonstration of compassion and motherly love, commending Mrs. Nwifuru for sustaining the outreach as an annual tradition.
She said the First Lady’s interventions go beyond securing freedom, noting that beneficiaries are also empowered with cash and tools to enable them live productive and law-abiding lives.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ben Odoh, said the gesture reflected justice tempered with mercy, especially for inmates who remained incarcerated solely because they could not pay fines.
He lamented congestion in the state’s custodial centres, revealing that Abakaliki prison, built for 387 inmates, now houses 1,018, while Afikpo holds 187 inmates, bringing the total to 1,205.
Odoh recalled that Mrs. Nwifuru paid fines for 68 inmates in 2023 and 41 in 2024, adding that “today again, you have paid fines for 25 inmates and empowered them.”
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Nwifuru said no life is beyond redemption, stressing that justice must always work hand in hand with compassion and the opportunity for renewal.
She noted that the initiative was founded on the belief that correction should lead to restoration, adding that the 25 inmates were stepping out not just into freedom but into hope and a new beginning.
The First Lady emphasised that reintegration requires more than release, aligning the programme with the People’s Charter of Needs agenda of the Ebonyi State Government, which prioritises social justice and empowerment.
She urged the freed inmates to embrace responsibility and lawful living, while appealing to families and communities to accept and support them to prevent stigma and rejection.
The visit ended with prayers and emotional scenes, as beneficiaries thanked the First Lady, whose annual Yuletide outreach continues to symbolise hope, mercy and restorative justice in Ebonyi State.
