Went to jail with a three month pregnancy, delivered the baby behind the bar where she lived with the child for over two years for standing surety for her husband.
In this report, Milestonenews narrates the story of a wife, who was compelled to give birth in a prison instead of a hospital as well as raised the child for about two years in the correctional centre instead of a home.
Mrs Bose Abiodun, mother of three boys with a three month pregnancy, was summarily sent to Ilesa correctional center on the order of an Osun state High Court, sitting in Osogbo for standing surety for her Husband, Mr Abiodun who jumped bail and still at large.
Mrs Abiodun told Radio Nigeria that sometimes January 2014, her husband Femi Abiodun was arrested and charged to court for killing a person during a hunting expedition in Ijebu Ijesa, Oriade Local Government Osun State.
After over a year in detention on the order of the Court, the husband was granted bail in the sum of 5million naira and two sureties each, which was provided by the wife and the accused elder brother who is also at large.
However, the husband absconded in December 2017 and stopped attending to his murder trial in the court, a situation the wife claimed was unknown to her.
But on April 11, 2018 the police came for her, detained her and dragged her before the trial court, from where she found her way to Ilesa Prison.
Surprisingly, the surety, Mrs Bose Abiodun said she was only brought to court on two occasions through out her two years incarceration, first on the 5th of May 2018 when she was four months pregnant and secondly, on the 9th of October same year, a month after she put to bed in the prison.
She said, every Mondays, she kept asking when she would be taken to court, but the usual answer she got was that her court was not sitting, a development resulting in her being kept out of Court throughout 2019 and this year until respite came on the 25th of May, 2020.
About her conception and delivery, she narrated that it was in the prison she got aware of her condition where she nursed the pregnancy till delivery on the 2nd of September 2018 and where she resided with the new born baby till one year eight months with the support of prison officials and visiting religious organizations before help came.
In the course of her ordeal, Bose lost all her means of livelihood and sadly, her mother, Mrs Arowolo who assisted her with the care of three of her sons, whom she left behind while she sojourned in Ilesa prison.
Bose's younger brother, Mr Arowolo confirmed that their mother's death was caused by sisters' as the 62 years old woman died of shock as she chorused Bose's name daily.
Mr Arowolo also explained that all efforts to persuade the husband's family to support the care of Bose's three children was not successful as the family declined such assistance.
However, luck ran her way on when her matter was raised by the legal aid council during the State Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo amnesty visit on the correctional centre, acting on the directive of the Federal Government that such facility be decongested owning to the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on the development, the Coordinator of the Legal Aid Council in Osun state who facilitated her release, Mrs Julie Olorunfemi said she was moved to raise her matter when she found out that only males inmates benefited from the amnesty, raising concerned for gender balance.
Mrs Olorunfemi described Bose's detention in prison with pregnancy and eventually raising the Child for a year and eight months behind the bars as unfortunate.
Mrs Olorunfemi who is also the Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA Osogbo branch appealed to government to rehabilitate Mrs Bose Abiodun and her 1 year and eight month old Son, Oyinkansola.
Also speaking on the development, an Osogbo based legal practitioner, Mr Odunayo Henry said a situation of keeping a pregnant woman and later with her new born baby in prison custody for over two years on the ground that the accused she guaranteed jumped bail was too extreme.
Presently, the mother of four boys fashion designer, Mrs Bose Abiodun is helpless, her husband is no where to be found, she has no means of livelihood and no support anywhere to cope with the challenge of raising four male children alone.
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