Four nursing mothers currently at Nsawam Prison

Accra, Aug. 31, GNA - Four nursing mothers are currently serving their various jail terms at the Female Prisons of the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons. The four, after weaning their babies off breast milk, would have their babies sent to the Osu Children's Home in Accra. Mrs Charity Araba Magnusen, Assistant Director of Prisons in charge of the Prison, announced this on Monday when she received Mr Emil Short, the Commissioner, Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice and her deputy Ms Anna Bossman and other officials at the prison. The visit was to ascertain conditions prevailing at the prisons and see how best those problems could be improved or solved. Mrs Magnusen said the Female Prisons has 182 inmates with 85 year old woman being the oldest among them.

She complained about inadequate imprest offered to inmates saying that was creating difficulties in feeding them. One of the nursing mothers, Tracy Aku Kaedabi, was found with her 13-month old baby in prison.

Tracy said she was serving two and half years jail term adding she arrived at the prison two weeks ago for stealing 1,000 dollars from her mistress.

She did not have anyone to take care of her baby hence brought her 13-month baby along.

Akosua Nimo, the 85 year old partially blind woman, who spoke with journalists, appealed for amnesty and said she was suffering from waits pains and chronic sour after a snake bit. She was convicted by a Kumasi Circuit Court for a narcotic offence. According to her she was transferred to the prisons five weeks ago but had to be aided by a 65 year old Agnes Gyewunu who is on the condemned list.

Akua Agyekoma, a 70 year old could not hide her tears when she spotted the cameras and asked journalists to help her. Agyekoma said she was convicted for murder and has since served 26 years.

At the moment, Agyekoma said no relations had ever visited her. Celina Mensah, a mother of two now serving five years for attempted suicide, appealed to donors to come to the aid of inmates. Mr Short said the Commission had take note of the problems confronting the inmates and promised to take necessary steps to address them.