Court Holds 75-Years Old Mother In Prison Over Son’s Offense

75-Year Old Woman Stands Surety For Son, Held In  Ibara Prison, Abeokuta.

It has become a source of concern and worry to neighbours and relations of a sick 75-year-old woman, Elizabeth Otubambo, who is being held in prison since last month over the inability to produce her son.

Otubambo was locked in, at Ibara Prisons in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday Feb.15 for her inability to produce the wherabout of  Destiny Otubambo, her only child,  who allegedly jumped bail after his mother stood surety for him.

The aged mother who is said to be having a deteriorating health condition resides at Iyana Isashi community in Ojo, near Lagos.

One of Otubambo’s neighbours, Mrs Bidemi Erinle, appealed to the Ogun Government to intervene in the matter, to ensure that the old woman, a widow did not die in prison.

“Holding a 75-year-old woman in prison custody for an offense committed by her son questions the humanity of the people who ordered her incarceration,’’ Erinle said.

She appealed that Otubambo should be released immediately while the police searched for her son to answer questions for his offense.

Speaking on the development, the Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Police Command, Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, told NAN that Elizabeth was being held on the orders of an Ogun State Magistrates’ Court.

He said that her son was arrested by the police, following complaints by the owner of Soultrag Hotel, Petetdo, Agbara in Ogun over unpaid hotel bills.

According to the police spokesman Destiny had lodged in the hotel with his three other friends for about a month, incurring a bill of about one million naira.

Oyeyemi disclosed that Destiny, who was held in prison custody after his arraignment was later granted bail after his aged mother stood surety for him.

He said that the court had ordered that the old woman should be held in prison custody until her son showed up to answer to the charges brought against him.