The Wife of the Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Mrs. Mary-Maudline Uzoamaka Nwifuru, has facilitated the release of 119 indigent inmates from the Abakaliki Medium Security Custodial Centre over the past three years through humanitarian interventions led by the Better Health for Rural Women, Children and Internally Displaced Persons (BERWO) Foundation.
The initiative, carried out in collaboration with the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice and the Nigerian Correctional Service, focuses on inmates who had been granted fines by competent courts but remained in custody due to inability to pay.
According to the Chief Press Secretary to the First Lady, Nnenna Oshibe, the programme reflects a broader commitment to restorative justice, rehabilitation, and social reintegration.
“The First Lady believes that no life is beyond redemption. True correction is achieved not merely through incarceration but through restoration, empowerment and acceptance by society,” Oshibe said.
She disclosed that in 2023 alone, 53 inmates were released after the Foundation identified cases of individuals who had completed the substantive requirements of their sentences but remained in detention due to unpaid fines.
The intervention continued in 2024 with the release of 41 inmates, while in 2025 the BERWO Foundation reportedly paid over ₦20 million in fines to secure the freedom of an additional 25 inmates.
Beneficiaries were also provided with meals, transportation support, empowerment packages, and reintegration assistance to help them restart their lives outside custody.
Oshibe said the Foundation’s interventions have not only restored freedom to indigent inmates but also strengthened efforts toward prison decongestion and social rehabilitation.
The Abakaliki Medium Security Custodial Centre, originally built for about 387 inmates, has at times accommodated over 1,000 persons, making overcrowding a persistent challenge.
Correctional authorities, legal practitioners, and beneficiaries have commended the initiative, describing it as a model of compassionate justice that addresses poverty-related barriers to freedom while supporting broader correctional reforms.
As prison reform discussions continue across Nigeria, the BERWO Foundation’s intervention has been highlighted as an example of how targeted humanitarian support can ease overcrowding in correctional facilities while promoting dignity, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
