Minister of Women Affairs, Uju-Kennedy Ohanenye, has said that the ministry is working with stakeholders to establish mobile courts to get justice for women incarcerated for years in correctional facilities without trial.
The minister said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on the sidelines of a women empowerment conference to mark the 2024 International Women’s Day, yesterday, in Abuja.
The conference, organised by Arise Monalisa Foundation, in collaboration with One Percent International Management Services Limited, discussed issues affecting women, young female entrepreneurs and children.
Ohanenye said that many women awaiting trial over minor offenses have been abandoned in correctional facilities for years, with no hope of getting justice.
She said that the establishment of the mobile court would help such women, while it would help to decongest the correctional facilities.
Ohanenye said: “Remember when I came in as minister, and they said that women were suffering, I had to go to the prison yard. I saw many women abandoned in prison for over four years awaiting trial over minor issues like owing debt of N10,000, N15,000, and N20,000.
“Out of what I said before on inhumanity to humans, they just drop them there because they feel they don’t have anybody to speak for them. We don’t want that to continue to happen.
“That’s why I was looking for a mobile court to get these women released, and I went straight to the President and I asked for a mobile court. The President said that I should go ahead.”
According to the minister, she had contacted the Attorney General of the Federation and governors to collaborate in the endeavour.
