The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria Prison Service

  • Prison officials in trouble for molesting Task Force official

     

    Some officials of the Edo State Command of the Nigeria Prisons are currently in trouble for beating and molesting officials of the state Public Works Volunteer Task Force (PUWOV) for daring to arrest one of their men.

    A viral video showed one of the PUWOV official identified Eguagie Iyekekpolor being force to swim in mud water in front of the prison along Sapele Road in Benin City.

    It was gathered three PUWOV officials had intercepted an official of the Nigeria Prison Service for carrying passengers in front of Unity Bank along Airport Road.

    The PUWOV officials asked the prison official who was with his wife to drive to their office at the Urhokpota hall but the prison official took them to the Nigeria Minimum prison along Sapele road.

    At the prison, other armed prison officials including policemen and soldiers were said to have descended on the PUWOV officials and beat them up.

    Read Also: Prison escapee arrested in Anambra

    Head of PUWOV, Kelly Okungbowa, said policemen attached to the Task Force pleaded with the prison officials to leave their boys but they refused.

    He said, “We have áreas we barred commercial drivers from picking passengers. We usually appeal to security personnel using their cars for taxi after work to always pick passengers at the designated areas by they always threaten to beat us.

    “The prison official was picking passengers in an unauthorized place and three of our boys intercepted him and they asked him to drive to our office so that we can impound it.

    “But the man took them his office along Sapele road where himself and his colleagues beat up out boys. They asked one of them to swim inside mud water.”

    Meanwhile, the Edo State Government has said it would prosecute the prison officials harassing members of his Task Force.

    Secretary to the State Government, Barr. Osarodion Ogie, said Solicitor General of the state, Mr. Wole Iyamu, has been briefed about the case.

    Public Relations Officer of the NPS, Edo Command, Aminu Suleiman, said the State Comptroller of Prisons, S. N Edoghutu has commenced investigations into the incident.

    Amina stated that a three-man committee was set-up to unravel those involved in the beating.

  • Four killed in Akwa Ibom jail break

    Four killed in Akwa Ibom jail break

    … 36 inmates escape

    An attempted jail break by inmates of the Ikot Ekpene Prisons, Akwa Ibom, on Wednesday has reportedly led to the death of four inmates of the prison.

    Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred at 11:47 a.m. when the prisoners launched attack on kitchen staff of the prisons.

    A statement issued by the spokesman of the state command of Nigeria Prison Service, Mr. Ogbajie J. Ogbajie, said the inmates seized an axe from fellow inmate attached to the kitchen, inflicted a deep cut on the head of one of their colleagues and immediately made for the rear entrance to the prison.

    According to the statement, the prisoners broke the door with the axe and engaged the staff that chased them in battle.

    “At the end of the scuffle, four of them that sustained gun shots lost their lives while seven were recaptured. At least 36 are still at large and search parties have been activated to affect their recapture,” the statement added.

    Meanwhile, the Controller of Prisons in Akwa Ibom State, Alex Oditah, has ordered an investigation into the circumstance surrounding the unfortunate incident.

    He appealed to members of the public to assist the authority with useful information on the fleeing inmates.

  • Nasarawa donates 500 mattresses, blankets, to prisoners

    Nasarawa donates 500 mattresses, blankets, to prisoners

    Nasarawa State Government has donated 500 mattresses and blankets to Nigeria Prison Service for prompt distribution to prisons across the state.

    Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) presented the items in Lafia on Wednesday to Mr Ekwere Ekanem, the Comptroller of Prisons in the state.

    Mohammed said the donation was in fulfillment of the state governor’s promise during his visit to the Lafia prison on Democracy Day.

    “Our caring governor has gladly given approval for the purchase of these products to be released to the prison service for distribution to prisoners across the state to alleviate hardship they face in the prisons.

    “I pray that it will prove useful to our prisons in the state, rehabilitate and mould the character of the prisoners in the near future to be responsible and law abiding Nigerians’’, he said.

    Responding, Ekanem expressed joy over the gesture, saying it would add value to the living condition of the inmates.

    “We are indeed very grateful for what we are witnessing this afternoon. When the governor made the pledge, we never anticipated it would be so soon.

    “ This shows the magnanimity and caring heart he posses and we are indeed grateful’’, he said.

    The controller revealed that some of the inmates sleep on bare floor or share bed with other inmates.

    “Some of these mattresses will immediately go to Lafia prisons for distribution and during the week, other prisons across the state will get their share.

    “As i am talking to you, some of these inmates are sleeping on bare floor or sharing; this is not what we want in our prisons,” he said.

  • Ngilari released from Yola Prison

    Ngilari released from Yola Prison

    Former Adamawa Governor, Bala Ngilari, who was granted bail on health grounds, after his appeal against the five years conviction over corruption charges, has been released from prison.

    Mr Peter Tenkwa, Controller of the Adamawa Command of the Nigeria Prison Service, confirmed Ngilari’s release to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday in Yola.

    He, however, said that the former governor was released “without my knowledge”.

    A Yola High Court 1, presided over by Justice Nathan Musa, granted Ngilari bail on Monday, pending the hearing of his appeal.

    He had been jailed by a Yola High Court that found him guilty of ignoring due process in the procurement of 25 vehicles for N169 million

    His bail application was supported by a medical report, which indicated that he had serious medical issues and needed to travel abroad to seek special attention.

    Tenkwa told NAN that he was waiting for the court order to enable him contact the legal department of the service for advice, when the Deputy Controller in charge of the Yola prison, Abubkar Abaka, told him that Ngilari had been released.

    “I called the officer in charge of Yola Prison to instruct him to await further instruction on Ngilari, only to be told that he had been released based on court warrant,” he said.

    Tenkwa said that some prison officials involved in the handling of the Ngilari issue, including the Deputy Controller in charge of the Yola Prison, had been replaced, while investigation into the whole saga was ongoing.

    He said that Mr John Bukar, a senior officer in the health department, was being detained pending investigation.

    Bukar signed the letter that identified Ngilari’s medical concerns to include high blood pressure, diabetics and insomnia.

    Meanwhile, the Chief Registrar of Adamawa High Court, Mr Danladi Mohammed, has confirmed that Ngilari  fulfilled the bail conditions before he was released.

    “He was granted bail in  the sum of of N100 million with two sureties who have already submitted their Certificates of Occupancy.

    “The Registrar of High Court 1 has confirmed to me that the bail conditions were fulfilled.

    “For now, that is all I can tell you. If you want further details on the matter, you need to write a request to that effect,” Mohammed told NAN.

    Ngilari served as Adamawa Governor from October 6, 2014 to May 29, 2015, following the removal of Ahmadu Fintiri, then Acting Governor, by an Abuja High Court.

     

  • Prison officer arrested over N3.9m fraud

    Prison officer arrested over N3.9m fraud

    A Prison Assistant with the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS), Onoja Osita Kingsley has been arraigned before Justice A.V. Agishir of the Federal High Court, Enugu over a three count charge.
    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday arraigned the suspect on charges of stealing, possession of fraudulent document and forgery to the tune of  three million, nine hundred thousand Naira (N3,900,000).
    The accused, Kingsley, allegedly orchestrated the fraudulent transfer of the sum of One Hundred and thirty two million, nine hundred thousand Naira (N132, 900,000.00)  from six customers accounts with a new generation bank.
    However, out of the said sum, Three Million, Nine Hundred Thousand Naira (N3, 900,000.00) was transferred into the account of one Uchenna Eze, which Onoja had opened with forged documents at the Olu Obasanjo Road branch of Access Bank Plc, in Port Harcourt, River State.
    He subsequently withdrew the sum of One Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira (N140, 000, 00) from the account.
    Kingsley was arrested on the 12th of January 2015 in Enugu State where he had gone to withdraw the balance of the stolen money.
    He pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him.
    Justice Agishir adjourned the matter to October 28, 2015 for hearing of bail application and remanded the accused in EFCC custody.