Activist, publisher and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has recounted meeting an inmate whose life, he said, was transformed through education during his years in prison.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, Sowore responded to questions about whether his detention differed from that of other inmates due to his public profile and access to legal support.
He described an inmate who has spent 14 years in custody, explaining that the man had completed a seven-year prison sentence and is now awaiting trial on a homicide charge.
Sowore said the inmate entered prison at the age of 22 and used his time in custody to pursue higher education. “He got to prison when he was 22 years old and he has obtained a first degree and a master’s degree. And now he’s trying to have a PhD and he’s written several books from prison,” he said.
According to Sowore, the inmate’s academic achievements demonstrate the rehabilitative purpose of correctional facilities, adding that such personal development reflects “why… they call it a correction service.”
