By Adebisi Adeyemi, Lagos
The wife of Bauchi State Governor, Barr. Aisha M.A. Abubakar has today freed 52 inmates after paying for their fines and compensation.This is coming barely two weeks after she promised to pay for inmates with lesser fines and compensation to enable them celebrate the yulitide with their families.
In a well attended occasion which had in attendance, the wife of Kogi State Governor, Hajiya Hafiza Yahya Bello and Hajiya Hannatu Sadique Abubakar, wife of the Chief of Air Staff, the Bauchi Governor’s wife Barr. Aisha M.A. Abubakar Said the gesture was borne out of her concern for the prison inmates and vulnerable groups of the society.
She charged the beneficiaries to be good citizens of the society after leaving the prison. She disclosed that she intends to equip the released inmates with vocational skills just as she had done for some of them last year.
The Governor’s wife presented each of the inmates with the sum of five thousand Naira as transport money to their various destinations and also donated 50 pieces of blankets, dozens of mats, cartons of soaps, bathroom slippers, amongst other things for the well-being of the remaining inmates of the prison.
In their seperate remarks, the wife of the Kogi State Governor and wife of the Chief of Air Staff, both commended the wife of Bauchi State Governor for her show of concern to the prison inmates and admonished the released inmates to reciprocate the kind gesture by transforming their lives for the better and be of good behavior.
The wife of Kogi State Governor, Hajiya Hafiza Yahya Bello also assisted the only female inmate released with cash donation to enable her start up a business and become self reliant.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Controller of Prisons Bauchi State Command, CP Suleiman T. Suleiman, applauded the Governor’s wife for her humane disposition towards the inmates.
He said he is particularly excited for including one Adamu Kolo among the released inmates. He noted that Adamu Kolo’s health condition has been deplorable and when intimated, the Governor’s wife paid the sum of 120,000 as fine and compensation to secure his release on compassionate ground.
The Controller of Prisons called on other wealthy individuals in the state and NGOs to emulate the kind gesture of the Governor’s wife by supporting the prison inmates to attain effective reformation and rehabilitation.
