WILLIE Obiano, Anambra State Governor,  has promised to equip the skills acquisition centre at the Onitsha Prisons.

“The government will also extend health programmes to the prison inmates,’’   Obiano said this during the 64th Birthday celebration of  Valerian Okeke, Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha,   with inmates at the Onitsha Prison.

The promise to equip the skill acquisition centre was a result of the appeal made by the Comptroller of Prisons, Anambra State, Emma Nwakeze.

Nwakeze said that the prison had no fewer than 700 inmates against the 300 official accommodation limit.

He appealed to government to assist in providing medical assistance to inmates.

Obiano who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Prof. Joseph Asike, assured that the state government would increase the number of judges and magistrates in the state to help for speedy trials of the inmates, so as to reduce their population.

Speaking during the occasion, Archbishop Okeke explained that prisons were places for corrective measures and as such, should have the right environment for positive effects and results on inmates.

“We as a Church will continue to preach peace and obedience to the rule of law and will continue to put in our little effort in some basic infrastructure that will help reform them.

“Already, we are building a 30 million skills acquisition centre, where some of them can be trained in various fields of human endeavour.

“This is to ensure that when they complete their term, they will come out better equipped,” Archbishop Okeke said.

– Oct 24, 2017 @ 17:14 GMT |