Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) of the Catholic Church of Annunciation, Abraham Adesanya Estate, Ajah, paid a visit to the female inmates at the Kirikiri prison.

So this past Saturday, the Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) of the Catholic Church of Annunciation, Abraham Adesanya Estate, Ajah, paid a visit to the female inmates at the Kirikiri prison.

I just thought to share some of the things I learnt and discovered during that visit.

Before I go on, let me just say that we all take freedom for granted. In fact we think nothing of our freedom until it is taken from us forcefully. We are then forced to to do a mental re-calibration.

Do you know that there are people in prison whose relatives do not even know that they are there?

The criminal justice system is wired in such a weird way that suspects are taken straight to prison from the scene of a crime and they remain in prison custody while awaiting trial with no means whatsoever to contact their families or loved ones.

Now with reference to awaiting trial, some of these inmates spend and have spent months and years awaiting trial.

We met a girl of not more than 17 by my calculation, who had been behind bars for 4 years. She was a house help in a house that was robbed and she was implicated.

Sadly, after 4 years in the limbo called Kirikiri prison, she was finally sentenced to 21 years on Friday.

She was in tears throughout our visit. We promised to help, though I don't know how. My lawyer friends, maybe you can assist on this one.

Some of these inmates are unable to post bail either because their bail conditions are too stringent or because their families are too poor to raise the money involved.

When you hear that an entire family cannot raise 50,000 naira to bail their sister in prison, it leaves you wondering how the family members who are outside the prison survive because it appears that the one in prison is better off, albeit without the right to freedom.

Some of these women have acquired a handwork through the prison's skill acquisition scheme but they face an uncertain future when they get out as they have zero capital and no access to funding to start something meaningful.

And if you think that it is only people who commit murder who are in prison, think again.

We met a girl who was in prison because her boyfriend stole an iPad and 20,000 naira. She was picked up in his stead and has been remanded in Kirikiri since then.

I also saw a well-dressed lady in the group. She even had makeup on. She was dressed in a booboo gown and matching head tie.

On the ride home, I mentioned to the group that I suspected she is a bank manager who was in prison for fraud because she looked to 'toosh' to be a prisoner.

She didn't share her story with us as she left after the ministration so that was just my guess.

See ehn, it is not only motherless babies, orphans or widows that need our help.

Prisoners need our help too.

They need food, clothing items, toiletries etc. They also need our prayers and legal assistance.

A lot of them are incarcerated unjustly.

If you would like to assist prisoners in anyway, feel free to inbox me.

Thank you in advance.

Culled From Facebook (

Dawan DaOne Ejomah

9 hrs · 

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