The Nigerian Correctional Centre has reacted to the uproar generated by the beauty contest involving a murder suspect Miss Chidinma Ojukwu
The Command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Rotimi Oladokun has said that the pageant and all the other events were open to all female inmates, whether convicted or awaiting trial.
Oladokun, a Superintendent, said: “I haven’t seen the pictures you are talking about. But in line with International Women’s Day, the female custodial facilities commemorated International Women’s Day with inmates, various inmates without distinction or discrimination against anybody – an inmate is an inmate.
All the inmates in different cell blocks presented various programmes. Some did theatre presentations, others drama, some poetry, some beauty pageant, some drawings, paintings, comedy. So, various blocks won. It was just like an inter-cell block event.
“There were lots of presentations. It was not an individual thing. It was just the facility’s way of trying to reform the inmates, those still in custody.
So, that’s why they commemorated International Women’s Day, that’s why it was done in the female facility, not the male’s.”
Referring to Ojukwu, the spokesman said: “The particular inmate, I don’t know her name. There were various winners.
“The costumes were made by the inmates in the facility and some of the winners got sponsorship to pay for their UME forms, NECO, WASSCE and higher education.
“Some donated libraries to us, apart from some other stationery, and welfare resources. It was not an individual event, so the prizes were collective.”
He explained that Chidinma could have been a representative of a block.
“There were representatives for each block, so maybe the inmate you are referring to was one of such representatives, but it was not an individual event, it was a collective one commemorating International Women’s Day,” Oladokun added.