114 IPOB women can't receive food, family members at Owerri Prison

Family members of the

The women who were arrested during a protest on Friday, August 17, 2018, are not allowed also receive food from relatives and visitors at the Prison facility.

The authorities have denied maltreating the 114 IPOB women in detention.

The women who are currently facing charges bothering on treasonable felony were denied bail by the Magistrate Court and are awaiting advice from the Attorney-General of Imo state.

James Madugba, the Public Relations Officer of Owerri Federal Prisons, said prevailing circumstances could not permit the women to receive visitors for now.

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“We did not ordinarily deny family members access to the pro-Biafran women who are in our facility," Madugba said. "There is no order from above asking us not to allow relatives of the women access to them. It is not also true that we exposed the women, especially the pregnant ones to cold and inhuman environment.

“It is taxing to admit and register 112 people in any prison facility in Nigeria. You don’t just bring people into the prisons and the next minute, you want people to start visiting them.

"Prison is a regimented environment. There are regulations. The responsibility of interviewing, admitting and registering such number of women would take four days. It is after these processes that you now allow family members to start visiting."

Meanwhile, Oby Ezekwesili, a former minister of education and co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) advocacy group and other well-meaning Nigerians have called for the release of all women arrested during the protest in Owerri.