The founder of Friends’ Fellowship International, Oluwatoyin Bayekun, widely known as Woli Arole, has revealed that around 1,200 inmates at the Nigerian Correctional Service, Agodi Custodial Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State, are awaiting trial.
Woli Arole shared this during an interview with The PUNCH on Saturday, after donating various items to the inmates on Thursday.
Describing the conditions in correctional facilities across the country as dire, he urged the Federal Government to prioritize the welfare of inmates and the state of these facilities.
He said, “One thing that is so germane in our heart is the fact that everybody deserves hope, love and happiness. Our assignment is to make sure that we reach out to both the inmates and those who are taking care of them. Their care and wellbeing are very important.”
Highlighting his mission, he added, “We are here to see how we can be of impact to the society beyond the teaching and the preaching, and also to spread love and hope to every inmate. We are going to be doing it across Nigeria and even if possible out of the nation.”
Speaking on his initiative, Hope Beyond Walls, Arole noted, “We have 1,200 awaiting trials, and one thing that our initiative (Hope Beyond Walls) is going to do is to pay lawyers and make sure they bail inmates who are bailable. Everything is free. We just make sure that we do everything the way it ought to be done.”
