Pecohub The Ebonyi State Government has secured the release of 25 inmates from correctional facilities in the state as part of measures to reduce overcrowding and promote humane justice administration.
The release ceremony took place in Abakaliki on Monday, where the wife of the governor, Uzoamaka Nwifuru, said the intervention was designed not only to ease congestion in custodial centres but also to reinforce reforms within the justice system.
Nwifuru explained that the exercise was carried out through a partnership involving her humanitarian initiative, Better Health for Rural Women, Children, and Internally Displaced Persons, alongside the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice.
Describing the moment as both emotional and significant, she said the programme was driven by the conviction that individuals should not be permanently defined by their past errors.
“This initiative was founded on a simple but powerful belief that justice must be tempered with mercy, and correction must lead to restoration.
“Behind the walls of correctional facilities are men and women who, despite their past mistakes, still carry dreams, skills, and the desire to live meaningful and productive lives.
“Today, 25 of such individuals are stepping out not just into freedom, but into hope, responsibility, and a new beginning,” she said.
“I shall be consistently advocating for rehabilitation rather than rejection. True correction is not achieved when people are released without support, but when they are empowered with the tools to rebuild their lives,” Nwifuru added.
Speaking at the event, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ben Odoh, praised the first lady’s compassion and encouraged the beneficiaries to make positive use of their freedom.
Odoh disclosed that a custodial facility originally designed to hold 387 inmates is currently housing 1,018 persons.
He further revealed that the two correctional centres in Abakaliki and Afikpo jointly accommodate about 1,205 inmates.
The Controller of the Correctional Centre, Chika Igwugwu, also expressed appreciation to the governor’s wife for her intervention and urged her to sustain the initiative.
