The International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, has disclosed plans for the association to offer free legal services to eight female inmates serving various terms in the Correctional facility.
The FIDA Chairperson, Kano branch, Barr. Bilkisu Suleiman who dropped the hint said the inmates were imprisoned for minor cases such as debt, stealing and fighting.
Barr. Suleiman made this known shortly after leading women from the religious organization on excursion to the Goron Dutse Correctional facility in Kano.
She said the essence of the excursion visit to the facility was to sensitize and expose them to life inside the prison facility in order to be responsible persons in the society and not to ferment trouble that could lead them to imprisonment.
According to her, “As part of our schedule on monthly basis to decongest the facility, we (FIDA) are ready to offer free legal services or representation to 8 female inmates. Their cases were taken into consideration. It is mostly issues of debt, stolen property and fighting.
“This is not the first time we are rendering such assistance. We help inmates who can’t afford legal representation.
“Already, 3 cases out of these 8 are to be addressed by some of our vibrant members today.
“We were also on excursion visit to the facility with women from Islamiyya school where lectures were delivered on the importance of woman in the society as a daughter, mother, wife, sister.
“They are expected to be a role model as well as a law-abiding citizen in order to be able to discharge their responsibilities effectively and avoid committing crimes that could lead them to be imprisoned.
“At the same time, guidelines on how they could safeguard their children from being victims of sexual assault were also discussed. And lastly, they were intimated on ways to handle victims of sexual assault and where to refer the cases to.
“We also used the avenue to donate items such as toiletries, dresses, cubes to the inmates courtesy of our members and women from H Hafsa Islamiyya behind Murtala Mosque,” Barr. Suleiman however stated.
