The prime defendant in the murder of the Chief Executive Officer of SuperTV, Michael Usifo Ataga, Chidinma Ojukwu has been crowned Miss Cell 2022, at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, Lagos.
Miss Ojukwu participated in a beauty pageant alongside other ladies at the correctional facility and emerged the winner of the competition.
The beauty pageant was organized to mark the International Women’s Day (IWD), with this year’s theme: “BreakingTheBias”.
IWD is celebrated annually on March 8, to commemorate the social, political and economic achievements of women.
Persecondnews.com reports that Ojukwu, a 300-level part-time Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), is facing trial alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu and one Adedapo Quadri, for the alleged murder of Ataga on June 21, 2021.
Social media has been awash with the pictures of Ojukwu and others participants since Wednesday with many asking why non-convicts such as Miss Ojukwu would be allowed to participate in the event.
Reacting, the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Rotimi Oladokun, said the pageant was only one of several other activities organized to mark 2022 International Women’s Day.
Oladokun added that the beauty contest and all the other events were open to all female inmates, whether convicted or awaiting trial.
“In line with International Women’s Day, the female custodial facilities commemorated International Women’s Day with inmates, various inmates without distinction or discrimination against anybody – an inmate is an inmate.
“All the inmates in different cell blocks presented various programmes. Some did theatre presentations, others drama, some poetry, some beauty pageant, some drawings, paintings, comedy. So, various blocks won. It was just like an inter-cell block event.
“There were lots of presentations. It was not an individual thing. It was just the facility’s way of trying to reform the inmates, those still in custody. So, that’s why they commemorated International Women’s Day in the female facility, not the males,” he explained.
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