Bauchi Gov’s wife secures release of 52 prisoners

By Mary Donatus (Correspondent Bauchi)

Wife of the Bauchi State governor, Hajia Aisha Mohammed Abubakar, has secured the release of 52 Bauchi State prison inmates who committed minor offenses.

Speaking during the payment of fines and compensation for the prison inmates in Bauchi on Monday, Hajia Abubakar who is also the founder of Briliant Girl Child Initiative said the reform Programme was born out of her passion to bring succour to prison inmates.

She said, “We are giving the released inmates N5,000 transport fare and we will also sponsor them on vocational training so that they can be self-reliant and desist from their old ways of life.”

Hajia Abubakar who was accompanied by the wife of Kogi state Governor, Hajia Hafsat Yahaya Bello, and wife of Chief of Air Staff, Hajia Hanatu Zadik Abubakar, disclosed that only one woman was among the released inmates saying “we wish to secure the release of more women because as a woman, I am passionate about the plight of women but unfortunately the offenses committed by the women are beyond what we can do.

“We settled the fines levied on the inmates in various prisons in Zaki,Tafawa Balewa, Narbodo, Alkaleri, Ningi, Misau, Katagum,and Jama’are and Bauchi prisons respectively,” she said

“In 2016, we secured the releae of 42 inmates who we trained to acquire vocational skills but unfortunately only 39 were graduated while two went back to their old ways while one neglected the training.

“Also in July 2017, we equally went round to visit the trained ex-convicts in their various places of work, during the visit we donated N20,000 to the graduands in other to motivate them.”.

The governor’s wife also donated items such as blankets, mats, soap, body oil and bathroom slippers, worth thousands of naira to the inmates.

In his welcome address, Controller of Prisons, Bauchi State Command, Suleiman T. Suleiman, said one of the inmates who was in critical health condition was among the inmates that benefited from the gesture.

“I want to commend Her Excellency for graciously approving to pay for the release of Adamu Kolo, one of the inmates on compassionate ground. The moment I requested Her Excellency to look into the plight of the inmate who has been critically ill, she obliged and paid sum of N120,000 for his fines.

“The unique gesture of Her Excellency is the second of its kind in the series of her laudable interventions to the well being of prison inmates in Bauchi State. She had in February 2016 released 42 inmates by paying for their fines and compensation. She thereafter sponsored them for a vocational training at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and also provided them with vocational tools after their graduation.”

He thereby called on other individuals, philanthropists, NGOs and corporate organizations to emulate the Governor’s wife by assisting prison inmates with skills acquisition materials and other basic support.

The former Commisoner for Justice in Bauchi State, Yakubu Umar, who expressed worry over youth involvement in criminal activities attributed it to failed family values.