Baale of Kirikiri Town, Chief Waidi Sunmonu Agunbiade, who is in his late 80s, traces the history of Kirikiri prisons and highlights the lack the community has had to suffer, despite playing host to such a huge government facility.
Can you recall the year the Kirikiri prison was built?
The prison, if my memory does not fail me, was built in 1957. That was after the land on which it stands, was leased to the government. The original owners of Kirikiri town are the Imore people. Imore is a town, on the other side, whose land extends to where we are. The prison land was however leased from Molake. Molake, at the time was a wealthy man, who lived around Ita Balogun on Lagos Island. From what I heard – I may not be entirely correct – the Head of Imore family went to borrow some huge loan from him, and when they could not pay back, they offered the huge parcel of land in replacement. I later learnt though that the Imore family paid back part of the loan. Also, I’m not sure of the terms of transactions between the government and Molake. Possibly, they paid him some compensation.
Most part of where the prison yard now occupies, nearer where we now have Navy Town, used to be called Isunba and I remember that those who were living or farming there used to pay to Molake. Then, the people mainly grew Palm trees, from which they extracted all sorts of products including palm wine, palm oil, palm kernel, from which they made palm kernel oil (adin dudu) and also made soap. I remember that Molake sent huge bulldozers to demolish the houses of people who were reluctant to leave after he had entered into agreement with the government.
Who are the Cardoso family? I noticed that the only laid road in this part of town is named after that family.
Kirikiri itself as a town was leased. It was then entirely an unused farmland. At about that time, the Cardoso family approached the Imore family and bought a section of the land that now largely constitutes the Imore Township. But I remember also that they specifically informed the Cardoso family not to sell or collect money from the families already living in the town. My own grandmother was among those who were here at the time. I used to come as a child from our family house at Number 5, Ologun Street, Lagos Island, where I was born, before moving over as a youth. They also sold the other side to the Sokunbi family.
Has situating the prison yard here ever caused any violence or anxiety to the community?
Not really. I am yet to hear or witness any violence erupting on account of the prison yard. Neither have I heard of hoodlums storming the prisons to forcefully release criminals. Everything is peaceful and our relationship with the prisons management is cordial, to the extent that they invite us when they have important ceremonies, such as passing out parades and we go. They also recruit members of our community. That has happened a couple of times in recent memory. In fact, some of the people we sent to them weren’t necessarily indigenes.
What are the problems facing the community?
Majorly, I think we should have pipe borne-water. I believe we should have had that for long. How do you have a community as old as Kirikiri and not have potable pipe-borne water? Later they started sinking boreholes, some of which didn’t even last. There was a time they raised our hope and we met with government officials; they brought surveyors to survey the place, but in the end, nothing came out of it. I remember though that it was JMJ Johnson, who, during his time as minister, helped us get electricity.
What about road?
We do lack good roads. Even Cardoso Street, which you mentioned earlier, was constructed by the oil companies, about five of them. In any case, they had little choice; otherwise how will they convey their products, with their numerous huge tankers? They also promised to construct Karimu Street, but they are yet to fulfill that promise. We heard that it’s in the government records that the roads have been tarred. I don’t understand how an untouched road becomes tarred in government records.
What about the crime rate? I hope there are no armed robbery cases?
Once in a while, we have incidences of armed robbery. When things got to a head some years back, we constituted vigilante groups and strengthened them with the OPC (Oodua Peoples’ Congress); so now things are under control.
Years back, the warders used to take the prisoners to town to do labour works in the community, wasn’t that ever a danger?
Well they don’t do that again. But even then, they hardly constituted any danger. They had to stop when some of them started escaping. I remember that some, who could swim, knowing that the warders could not swim, used to jump into the lagoon and swim away.
What are the major economic activities in the town?
The major economic activity now is petroleum depot. Their activities are also responsible for the decrepit standard of the roads, and the traffic gridlock. Sometimes, we’d send the children to Olodi-Apapa to make purchases and they’ll take forever to come back. People also engaged in fishing; and off course there are petty traders.
