Nesochi told the Chairman of Ebonyi State Universal Basic Education Board, Chief Austin Igwe Edeze who visited to make some donations to the Prison’s Special School, that she was dumped at the place by a relation who has a military connection.

Two weeks already in detention, Nesochi who hails from Mgbo in Ohaukwu local government area of the state said she was in the process of typing and presenting her project in school when she had a minor quarrel with a cousin whose brother, a military officer took her to the police from where she found herself in prison custody as she had nobody to take her on bail.

Addressing the students inmates in his speech before making the donation of two sets of welding machines, electric filing machines, cutting machines, light protector, cartons of electrodes, welding cables, learning materials including text books, exercise books among others, Edeze promised that the board’s legal adviser would be drafted to the prisons to secure bail for some of the inmates with minor offences and expressed worry at the number of persons awaiting trials.

He recalled how about 28 inmates of the prison secured bail through his board’s intervention in the past, and specifically sympathized with Nesochi over her ordeal.

"This is wickedness, we’ll immediately send our lawyer to this place to help secure bail for some of these people who don’t have anybody to help them out of this place," he stated and further explained that the establishment of the special school was to keep the inmates busy in order to discourage them from learning new strategies in committing crimes.

"The inmates here are also members of the society. If there are no structures to help change their behaviours while they are still here, then you’ll see them coming out of this place worse than when they came in by so doing the main essence of prison which is to reform inmates would have been defeated," he noted, adding that his board also established both computer and skill acquisition centers in the prison to help inmates who may have acquired both primary and secondary education.

He commended officials of the Abakaliki Prisons for their friendly disposition, especially in accepting the establishment of the Special School, which has made the place the only prison in the country that has provision for schools.

Our reporter gathered that majority of the inmates are awaiting trials, while eight of them are said to have been infected with the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV), though prison officials could not confirm the development.

Responding to the visit and donations by the Ebonyi UBEB boss, the Deputy Comptroller in charge of the Abakaliki Prisons, Mr. Vincent Ubi faulted the snail speed in the justice delivery system in the country, noting that the development had resulted in what he

described as population explosion in the prison.

Ubi said that the place which has a capacity of 351 inmates now has 758 persons.

He disclosed that he had long complained to the authorities concerned to find a way of handling the issue "before it gets out of hand", but expressed dismay that nothing had been done to reduce the over-congestion.

"Most of them are here as a result of holding charges. I’ve complained to our National headquarters, and also the state government, but the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Alloy Nwankwo, he promised that he would soon embark on jail delivery, we are waiting for him," he said, noting that the number of inmates keep increasing by the day.

He thanked the Ebonyi Ubeb chairman for deeming it fit to establish the school within the prisons the board’s continued support to the school and inmates.