A non-governmental organisation, Alliance for Justice, Advocacy and Humanitarian Foundation, (AHAJF), said prison facilities in Nigeria and Africa were populated with innocent people.
The Foundation maintained that several innocent people are currently behind bars for reasons they are ignorant of, and vowed to ensure justice for them.
The President of the group, Dr. Martins Itumoh stated this during an advocacy visit to the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), at its Dr. Sam Egwu Press Centre in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.
Itumoh added that his group would collaborate with relevant organisations including the NUJ to get justice for those who are behind bars for the offence they did not commit.
He also vowed that the association will fight against irregularities in the country.
“Our prison system especially in developing countries is populated with innocent people.
“Even abroad, you have people who are innocent and they are in prison but the proportion of innocent people in prison is significantly higher in Africa,” Itumoh said.
He noted that there are people that are behind bars for wrong reasons, but said that his team will come to their aid to offer support.
“When they are behind bars and we are praying, the only way God will respond to that prayer is when the people outside come to their aid.
“So, one of things we will be trying to do is to seek partnership with other organisations to join us with the abilities to speak for those who do not have anyone to speak on their behalf.
“On our own part, we will be collaborating seriously with you, the NUJ for instance, to improve on our investigative journalism”, he stated.
The group’s Director of Operations, Monday Eze also expressed dismay on the alleged extortions of people of the state and the arbitrary charges on the people by some agencies to render services that supposed to be free to the people in Ebonyi State.
He noted that the group has written to the state government for partnership to enable it to hold some agencies in the state accountable.
