At the Okigwe Prisons, activities continued in earnest towards the realization of the objective of securing the release of some indigent prisoners deserving freedom. It would be recalled that several lawyers had been contacted to help file necessary applications on behalf of the Clinic for the indigent prisoners in deserving cases.
In the course of the week, the Clinicians also embarked on follow up visits to the families of the inmates to make arrangements for their bail applications. Such trip took the students to the remotest parts of Imo and Abia State. The most interesting of such trips was that of Ideato South Local Government embarked upon by Chioma Nwigwe, Bethel Ugochukwu Godfrey and Kalu Fred Ben. The inmate had made no contact with his aged father since his arrest in 2003, and in the course of the interview session, it was clear there was some underlying family feud that accounted for his long period in detention. After making the long trip to Ideato, the Clinic unfortunately met with the Step mother of the prisoner who did everything to frustrate the efforts of the clinic to meet the father. Fortunately however, we were lucky to meet some children in the compound who eventually gave us his phone no. The clinic thus succeeded in intimating him of the where about of his son after eight years, and arrange for further contact with him.
Another visit to Uruala almost yielded another release on Thursday, but the Magistrate Court where the case is being tried adjourned to Monday. Barring any further twist in the case, it would be release number two in as many weeks.
In Aba, the situation is even more promising. The task force team which is being coordinated by Barr C. K. Nwankwo, this week visited the Aba Prisons which appeared to have been neglected following the strike actions that hampered the clinic activities. In the course of the visit, more than twenty prisoners were interviewed by the Clinicians. Following that, the students also embarked on visits to the courts where the case files of the prisoners are located.
Meanwhile more high profile lawyers have continued to identify with the efforts of the Clinic towards taking justice to the indigent awaiting trial prisoners. On Thursday, two Clinicians Orji Agwu Uka and Uzoma Ikechukwu Chibuike on behalf of the Clinic sought and secured the services of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Obiorah Obianwu of Utoko & Nwokedi Chambers, 78 Pound Road Aba to do pro bono cases on behalf of the clinic. And in a related development, an Aba High Court Judge, Hon Justice O. A. Otisi praised the ABSU Law Clinic for the good work it was doing in providing free legal services for the indigent. Justice Otisi was speaking while paying host to students of the Clinic who paid her a visit on Thursday. She expressed delight that at a time when the general impression was that youths spent their times on frivolities, cultism and other social vices, the Law Clinic kept youths purposefully employed and busy doing such community service. She also had some words of praise for NULAI and the students of the Clinic. Justice Otisi incidentally is a former lecturer in the Faculty of Law, Abia State University.
The activities for the week were rounded off in Umuahia, Friday when about fifteen Clinicians paid follow up visits to the Umuahia Prisons in furtherance of the efforts to secure the release of those illegally and unlawfully detained there. The initial visits were carried out in July 2010 where about fifty persons were interviewed. During the visit today, twenty one of such persons were visited and further information were obtained from them. All is thus set for the last week of the Task force where the work would hopefully be finalized.
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