MISS FEMALE CORRECTIONAL: Chidinma Ojukwu was not celebrated as a murderer, but as a contestant who represented her cell in a beauty pageant– DCP Lizzie Ekpendu
MISS FEMALE CORRECTIONAL: Chidinma Ojukwu was not celebrated as a murderer, but celebrated as a contestant who represented her cell in a beauty pageant– DCP Lizzie Ekpendu.
DCP Lizzie Ekpendu, officer in charge of Kirikiri Female Correctional Centre, has refuted social media reports accusing the facility’s administration of celebrating a murderer. In an interview with our correspondent.
According to her, “Attention has been drawn to some social media write-ups castigating Chidinma Ojukwu for winning the MISS FEMALE CORRECTIONAL, 2022 BEAUTY PAGEANTS COMPETITION held on Wednesday, March 9th 2022, at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre Female Prisons without stating the main motive of the event.”
“Findings have revealed that those news channels were not physically present to cover the event; instead, they picked pictures online and spread negative writeup to attract the attention of readers.”
“The program , which was tagged “THE WONDERS OF WOMAN,” was held to commemorate the 2022 International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrations, where every woman in the correctional facility was celebrated, including the correctional female staff.
The event had two segments: the inmate Beauty Pageant, tagged as “Miss Female Correctional,” and the correctional staff Beauty Pageant, tagged as “Mrs. Female Correctional.”
“In the Inmate Beauty Pageant category tagged Miss Female Correctional, eleven (11) cells in the correctional facility were represented: Aso Rock 1 Cell, Aso Rock 2 Cell, Single Cell, Cell C2, Cell A1, New Cell, Cell A2, Cell B Line, Cell A3, Cell C3, and Cell C1 respectively.
All contestants were presented to a unanimous decision of all inmates in the various cells.”
And in the staff beauty pageant tagged “Mrs. Female Correctional,” all the various departments and units in the facility were contested. Twelve (12) contestants were presented, starting from the Gate House, Welfare Unit, Clinic Department, Records Unit, Kitchen Department, Workshops Department, Training School, Catering Department, Store Unit, Radio, Gym and Psychology respectively, and the winner also emerged in the same vein.”
The fact remains that the correctional authorities did not celebrate Chidima Ojukwu as a murderer but rather celebrated her as the contestant who represented her cell (Cell A2) and won the MISS FEMALE CORRECTIONAL 2022, to mark the 2022 International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrations as presented by her fellow inmates to represent them. .”
“The idea of the event is to relieve the inmate of any emotional trauma any of the inmates might have encountered during their trial and conviction periods, to change people’s narrative towards inmates across all correctional centers in Nigeria, to let the inmates feel very confident in themselves, and for them to know that they are beautiful and not to be condemned.”
“IWD doesn’t limit anyone outside the globe. People outside the walls of the cells are celebrated during the IWD celebration.
We, the female staff and inmates, deserve to be celebrated during this time, which is why we used this avenue to celebrate both New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, and International Women’s Day in a ground-style, using a beauty pageant to highlight the wonders of women in the lives of the staff and inmates.
This is the first event that has ever taken place in the history of any correctional center across Nigeria, and that was while many Nigerians believed we celebrated a murderer, but we did not.”
“Chidinma’s case wasn’t the only murdered case we had in our facility. It was only a coincidence that her case was a well-known case that went viral on social media.”
“The IWD celebration was done in ground style to celebrate the beauty that are behind the bar, both in MISS (inmates) and MRS (staff).”
“Pictures has shown that the event included beauty pageants for both inmates and staff, jokes, music, dance, cultural celebrations of diversity, award presentations, and much more to ease the inmates of every emotional trauma in them.”
“The authorities of Kirikiri Female Correctional Centre, hereby debunk any rumor or any fake social media write-up that we celebrated a murderer in our facility.”
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