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Tag: Nigerian Prisons Service

  • 65 prisoners regain freedom in Delta

    The Presidential Committee on Prisons Reform and Decongestion has secured the release of 65 prisoners in Delta.

    The Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), Delta Command made the disclosure in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Asaba.

    The statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP. Uche Mgbakor, said that the committee was led by Justice I.U. Bello, the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    It stated that Bello was accompanied on the tour by the Deputy Controller General of the NPS, Abubakar Garuba.
    “The committee while reviewing the cases of the inmates decided to secure the release of some of the inmates.

    “The affected inmates were released on the conditions of ill health, old age and payment of fines,’’ the statement said.
    It quoted Bello as saying that the unconditional release of the inmates was necessary as a means to decongest the prisons in the state.

    A breakdown of the inmates released from the various prisons across the state are as follows: Warri Prison – 13 inmates; Sapele Prison – 15 inmates; Kwale Prison – 8 inmates; Agbor Prison – 18 inmates; Ogwashi-uku Prison – 10 inmates.

    It further said the Delta Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Peter Mrakpor and a representative of the state Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Marshal Umukoro, were present at the committee’s sitting.

    “The Delta Controller of Prisons, Mr Sam Iyakoregha wishes to express his appreciation to the committee and government.

    “It is our belief that this good gesture will go a long way in decongesting prisons in the state,’’ the statement added.

  • 84 prison inmates regain freedom in Edo

    The Presidential Committee on Prisons Reform and Decongestion has released 84 inmates from different prisons in Edo, the state’s Command of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), said on Wednesday in Benin.

    DSP Aminu Suleman, the Public Relations Officer, NPS state command, made the disclosure in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Benin.

    He quoted the Chief Judge of FCT, Justice Ishaq Bello-led committee, as releasing the inmates and advising them to reintegrate into the society with apologies to their parents and other loved ones for their misconducts.

    Bello urged the freed inmates to become useful citizens to themselves, families and the entire nation.

    READ ALSO: Obaseki backs prison reforms

    The Chief Judge disclosed that the committee will pay the outstanding fines for the freed inmates of varying amount on behalf of the Office of the Anthony General of the Federation in collaboration with the Edo State Government and other donors.

    He added that most of the freed inmates had acquired different skills while serving their jail terms, saying the trade would keep them engaged and out of trouble.

    Suleman gave a breakdown of the number of freed inmates as: Maximum security prison, Oko, 22; old Benin Prison, 33; Ozalla Farm Centre, 3; Auchi Prison, 7, Female Prison, Auchi, 1; Ubiaja Prison, 3; and Ogba Farm Project, 15.

    He listed other members of the committee to include; Deputy Controller General of Prisons (DCG Ops) Garba Abubakar, several Directors spread across the various relevant federal ministries while Mrs. Ayoola Daniels, was the Secretary.

    Suleman said the committee which visited the state to carry out its mandate, has since departed the state.

  • Activists lament prison congestion, inhuman conditions

    Worried by the state of prisons in the country, some activists under the aegis of the Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE, Nigeria), have held a walk in Abuja to enlist stakeholders’ support for the much-needed reforms in the criminal justice and prison systems. ERIC IKHILAE reports.

    Latest statistics have it that the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) currently holds about 75,544 (male and female) inmates in 244 detention facilities nationwide.

    Most of the facilities are made to hold between three to five times their actual capacities, thereby creating an environment of perpetual congestion, subjecting inmates to the burden of contending with other attendant consequences.

    Incidentally, majority of the inmates are individuals whose guilt is yet to be established, but subjected to prolonged incarceration. A recent report by the NPS indicates that awaiting trial inmates account for about 68 percent (51,384) of the prison population.

    This troubling state of affair informed a walk organised in Abuja on March 13 this year by some rights activists, under the aegis of Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants, (CURE, Nigeria), who said they seek to compel the relevant agencies of government to act.

    Led by CURE-Nigeria’s Executive Director, Sylvester Uhaa, members of the group, who bore placards, with different messages, walked from the Unity Fountain, first, to the national headquarters of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Aguiyi Ironsi Street.

    They later went to the Federal Ministry of Justice on Shehu Shagari Way, where they sought audience with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

    The group noted that congestion in prisons is a direct consequence of the ineffectiveness of key elements within the country’s criminal justice system.

    It stressed that the failure of the courts and the police to promptly process suspects, results in the high number of inmates awaiting trial, who are in most cases, held in custody longer than they would have stayed in prison if they were timeously tried and convicted.

    CURE Nigeria argued that the nation’s criminal justice system remains one of the least friendly amongst democratic nations of the world, particularly for the average citizen.

    Citing recent media reports, where President Muhammadu Buhari was quoted as saying, “prison congestion is a national scandal and embarrassment,” and the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo quoted as saying, “our prisons turn human beings into animals,” the group argued that it was no longer time for lamentation, but for urgent action.

    According to the group, the criminal justice system is skewed in a way that ensures justice continues to be the preserve of the wealthy and influential members of the society, who can afford the services of legal practitioners or can bribe their way out of the system.

    “Agents of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), an entity adjudged, in the recent past, to be the most corrupt institution in Nigeria, could just pick up persons from the streets and lock them up on trumped-up allegations, and a victim of such arrest could almost only regain freedom after paying money.

    “Those who are unable to pay and lack the political connection to gain freedom, end up in prison or police cell for years without trial.

    “In light of the above, we ask concerned Nigerians to lend a voice by demanding reforms in the criminal justice system, including the police, prisons and the Judiciary, so that the rule of law can prevail at all times and in every situation.

    “We firmly believe that a justice system that is overly punitive and fails to rehabilitate, doesn’t make us safer. The best way to fight crime is to prevent crime by addressing the root causes of crime such as poverty, unemployment, etc.

    “Prison congestion poses serious constraints to effective prison administration/management and poses security, health and social threats to society. Alternative incarceration is the way forward, Uhaa said as he addressed the crowd.

    Their placards bore messages like: “Stop sending lunatics to prisons, stop sending children to adult prisons, remove children from adult prisons now, stop building prisons, build schools, hospitals, and road; stop sending pregnant women to prisons, stop sending nursing mothers to prisons,” among others, which were also contained in the flyers they distributed as they walked.

    At the Federal Ministry of Justice, they met with the Permanent Secretary and Solicitor General of the Federation (SGF), Dayo Apata, who received them on behalf of the AGF. Apata commended them for their efforts.

    Apata assured the activists of Federal Government’s commitment to continuous reforms in the prison and criminal justice sectors in view of its commitment to the preservation of human rights and fight against corruption and insecurity

    He highlighted steps taken so far by the Federal Government to ensure the effectiveness of the criminal justice system and improvement in prison facilities.

    Other issues suggested by CURE Nigeria include the needed to reform the borstal instructions, abolish death penalty and arbitrary arrest and detention; rejection of prolonged pre-trial detention and criminalising the torture of inmates by security agents.The group also wants an arrangement where states are made to pay for the upkeep of some inmates. It asked the government to fight corruption in the prison system, raise the cost of feeding inmates, and demand that the police, military, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other agencies, with the power to detain citizens, to “declare the number of detainees in their custody.”

  • Theft of Tompolo’s Equipment: Navy dismisses, Jails three ratings

    The Nigerian Navy has dismissed three of its personnel who were arrested in June for stealing equipment stored at Mieka Jetty in Warri, where they were on guard duty.

    The three personnel; Petty Officer Ekong Samuel, Leading Seaman Elijah Sagwada and Seaman Usman Shuaibu, were also handed over to the authorities of the Nigerian Prisons Service, Okere, Warri, to continue with a five-month jail term handed down to them by the Navy Court Martial which tried their matter in Warri.

    Speaking to journalists after the de-kitting of the dismissed ratings at the base of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta in Warri, the Commander of the NNS Delta, Commodore Ibrahim Dewu, assured that the Nigerian Navy would not condone acts of indiscipline, neither protect any of its personnel found wanton as an officer or rating.

    Dewu, who explained that the dismissal and sentencing of the erring personnel was done in accordance to standard navy rules, said that they were not summarily tried, adding that they were given fair hearing, allowed to come with their counsels and were only dismissed and sentenced after the court martial had been satisfied that they were guilty.

    Read Also: Appeal Court ruling: I remain PDP’s Ogun candidate – Kashamu

    “Sometime in June, some of our personnel that were to Mieka Jetty, keeping duty, were caught stealing some of the equipment in that jetty. When the report was made to the base and they were arrested, both them and the civilians that were involved.

    “A thorough investigation was carried out, a court martial was recommended after the investigation and these three personnel from NNS Delta were court martialed. What you see this morning is the sentence that was given after the court martial. We are carrying out the naval procedure for a dismissal and we are going to send them to prison after the dismissal.

    “They were dismissed first, after which they were de-kitted and now they are going to serve five months jail term in prison. So what we did this morning was to dekit them and then hand them over to the prison service, to continue their jail term.

    “I want to make this statement clear that the Nigerian Navy has never and will never condone any case of indiscipline, especially issues that will bring disrepute to the service. We do not cover any of our personnel that is caught involved in such cases. That is why today we have dismissed them and then we are handing them over the prison to serve their jail term”, Dewu said.

  • Prison service seeks university admission for inmates

    Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), Jigawa Command, has appealed to National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to admit inmates serving jail terms in various prisons in Jigawa.

    The Comptroller of the service in the state, Alhaji Auwalu Diso, made this known during the matriculation of NOUN students for the 2017/2018 session in Dutse Study Centre on Saturday.

    Diso, who was represented by Superintendent of Prisons, Mr Saidu Kibiya, said that like other prisons across the federation, inmates in Jigawa should also be admitted by NOUN to study.

    He explained that in view of the gesture, many inmates graduated with first Degrees, Masters and Ph.Ds in various fields.

    He added that “I am happy to tell you that the gesture has changed the character and attitudes of many inmates.

    “In fact, many inmates have been reformed and they have desisted from bad habits and are ready to become good citizens.

    “I am, therefore, appealing to NOUN to consider our request so that the prisoners can be reintegrated into the society after their jail terms with some integrity.

    Meanwhile, the NOUN Study Centre in Dutse matriculated 210 students for the 2017/18 academic session.

    The acting Director of the centre, Malam Abdullahi Ya’u, said there was significant improvement in enrollment of students for this session compared with that of 2016/17 session.

    He appealed to Jigawa residents, particularly civil servants, to seek for admission into NOUN to upgrade their education status, pointing out that “learning is not only easy and accessible in NOUN but also exciting.”

    The director says that NOUN has 78 centres across the country which graduated many students worthy in learning and in character.

    He said “I want to urge the new students to dispel the misconception that NOUN qualification is not the same with conventional universities.

    “Apart from having virtually all its courses accredited by the National Universities Commission, NOUN has been receiving outstanding recognition at home and abroad for its achievements in educational excellence.”

    Ya’u also urged the matriculating students to pursue their studies with vigour and obey laid down rules and regulations of the university.

    The Vice Chancellor (VC) of NOUN, Prof. Abdallah Adamu, told the students that character development was an integral part of education which they signed up with the university.

    The VC’s speech, which was read by the Director of the Dutse Centre, noted that after their four-year study,students would also be judged in character and learning.

    He added that “to be qualified as such, you must be seen by your peers and officials of the university to have lived above board.

    “You must, therefore, shun vices that may hamper your academic progression, you must say no to cultism, examination malpractice and other anti-social behaviours.”

  • NPS decorates 193 newly-promoted personnel in Plateau

    NPS decorates 193 newly-promoted personnel in Plateau

    No fewer than 193 newly-promoted Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) officers serving with Plateau Command were on Tuesday decorated with their new ranks.

    Decorating the officers in Jos, Mr Noel Ailewon, the Controller in charge of the Command, said the beneficiaries were among the 12, 588 personnel that the Service recently promoted nationwide.

    “Few weeks ago, our headquarters released the promotion of 12, 588 officers and men.

    “In Plateau command, 193 are part of it and this is why we are here to decorate them with their new ranks,” Ailewon said.

    He urged beneficiaries to be upright and diligent in the discharge of their duties and be good ambassadors of the Service at all times.

    Read Also: NPS   raises alarm over influx of awaiting trial inmates

    He also reminded them of the new task that came with promotion, urging them to live above board as they assumed new responsibilities.

    “Promotion comes with added responsibilities and so you must be ready to be diligent in the performance of your duties

    “You must be shining stars of the Service and stimulating force for your subordinates,” the controller said.

    Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr John Francis, who was promoted to the rank of Deputy Controller of Prisons (DCP), pledged that the newly promoted officers would be more proactive in the discharge of their duties.

     NAN

  • Influx of awaiting trial inmates worrisome – NPS

    Influx of awaiting trial inmates worrisome – NPS

    The Controller-General, Nigerian Prisons Service ( NPS ), Mr Ja’afaru Ahmed, has decried the influx of awaiting-trial inmates in the nation’s prisons.

    Ahmed raised the concern at a media briefing after a facility tour of Dukpa Prison Farm Centre in Gwagwalada, FCT, on Wednesday.

    Represented by spokesman of the Service, Mr Francis Enobore, the NPS boss said the situation was a potential threat to efforts to de-congest prisons nationwide.

    “Although the population of inmates awaiting trial shows a considerable reduction, the rate of influx, if care is not taken, will sooner than later make a travesty of the present decongestion effort.

    “Some state task forces arrest minor offenders like street hawkers and even those without proof of means of livelihood and send them to prison without a corresponding mechanism for further care and support.

    “Managing this category of inmates has always been fraught with risks and myriad of problems even with the deployment of large toll of Service’s human and material resources,” Ahmed said.

    He reiterated the NPS’ call for alternative custodial punishment through the domestication and implementation of the 2015 Administration of Criminal Justice Act by states.

    As of December 15, there were 48,527 awaiting-trial inmates nationwide, representing 66 per cent of a total prison population of 72,384, according to the NPS.

    Ahmed also raised concern over the “rejection of ex-convicts by members of the society,” noting that it was pushing former inmates back into crime.

    “It is sad that the sanctimonious attitude of some relations of offenders has remained a bane in ex-convict reintegration into the society.

    “These offenders often return to crime due to continuous discrimination and unfriendly disposition of members of the society.

    “We believe that ex-offenders that have served term in the prison have received due punishment for their wrongful behaviour and therefore should be forgiven so that the circle of criminality can be broken,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the Dukpa Prison Farm Centre, operated by the FCT Command of the NPS, fetches the Federal Government N3 million annually, according to the officer in charge, Mr Benjamin Jatau.

    Leading journalists on a tour of the facility, Jatau, an Assistant Controller of Prisons, said the revenue was generated from the sale of products of the farm.

    He stated that the facility, established in 2006, was one of the 17 integrated farm centres run by the NPS nationwide.

    According to him, the farm which sits on 27 hectres of land in Dukpa community, Gwagwalada Area Council, was designed to teach inmates vocation in poultry, cattle rearing, fishery and piggery.

    “Besides, we grow some crops, mainly rice and maize, and then we have some subsidiary crops like soya beans.

    “All these activities are done by the inmates under the supervision of staff and professionals.

    “The aim of the farm is to affect the communities around on cropping techniques and modern livestock farming methods,” he said.

    Jatau said the that every season the farm produced between 40 and 6o bags of maize, including Quality Protein Maize, “which is good for diabetes patients”.

    Ibrahim Abdullahi, one of the inmates held at the farm, said the facility was more of a school than a detention/labour centre.

    Abdullahi, who is serving one-year jail term since July, state that he had learnt a lot of farming skills which he intended to put to use after his stay in prison.

    NAN

  • Group to FG: Pay N5.6b owed prison contractors 

    Group to FG: Pay N5.6b owed prison contractors 

    The Group for Good Governance and Democracy has called on the Federal Government to consider the plight of food suppliers to the Nigerian Prisons Service by clearing the N5.6 billion owed them.

    The group, in a statement by its National Coordinator and National Secretary,  Shadrack Nwokolo and Jimi Sanwo respectively, said over 75,000 inmates across the nation’s prisons face a hard time ahead should the huge debt receives no attention from the Federal Government.

    Government had recently announced increment in the feeding allowance of inmates from N200 to N450 daily.

    The statement read in part: “There are about 75,000 inmates scattered across the nation’s prisons. A lot of prisoners would have been dying daily if not for the kind gesture of these patriotic contractors who have not relented in supplying foods to the inmates despite the huge indebtedness by NPS in the last two years. We gathered that most of the contractors borrowed monies from financial institutions with huge interest rates attached to the loans.

    “They were concerned about the welfare of inmates and that was why they were in the vanguard for the upward review of their daily feeding allowance from N200 per day to N450 per day which is still grossly inadequate considering the cost of food items in the country.

    “We therefore call and appeal to our listening President, Muhammadu Buhari; the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Bello Danbazau and the prison authorities for a quick intervention over the lingering issue.

    “It saddens our heart that most of these patriotic contractors are struggling to survive while some are facing litigations from banks and microfinance outfits where they obtained loans. Some, we gathered, have lost their lives because of this huge indebtedness.”

  • Ogbeh wants NPS to embark on agriculture to boost inmates’ feeding

    Ogbeh wants NPS to embark on agriculture to boost inmates’ feeding

    The Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has appealed to the Nigerian Prisons Service(NPS) to aggressively embark on agricultural production to improve feeding of inmates.

    Ogbeh made the appeal at a sensitisation workshop for officers of the service organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Abuja yesterday.

    The minister, represented by Alhaji Muyiwa Azeez, the Director, Agribusiness, Processing & Marketing in the ministry, said the workshop was aimed at building a world class economy through agriculture.

    The minister said that adopting all-inclusive agricultural practices, which should involve both retiring and serving officers, would help in boosting food production and cut costs for the government.

    According to him, Section five of the 1999 constitution allows government officers including civil servants to go into agriculture without interference.

    He said: “We have 79 million hectares of land but less than 40 per cent of them are being utilised. We want to equip you to be prepared for a better life in and out of service.

    “We want you to go into livestock farming, crops farming, fertiliser manufacturing, storage and processing of agricultural produce.

    “We will train, help and assist you to access loans to achieve this.’’

    The Comptroller-General of the Service, Mr. Ja’afaru Ahmed, commended Ogbeh for the initiative aimed at involving military and para-military officers in agriculture.

    Ahmed was represented by Mrs. Dorothy Atajiri, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of the Directorate of Health and Social Welfare in the service.

  • Prisons boss denies alleged diversion of inmates’ food

    Prisons boss denies alleged diversion of inmates’ food

    Mr Noel Ailewon, Controller, Plateau Command of the Nigerian Prisons Service, has dismissed allegations that food meant for prison inmates was being diverted by officers and men of the command.

    “The allegations are malicious; they are an attempt to drag the good name of the command to the mud,” Ailewon told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Jos.

    Some groups recently alleged that food meant for inmates was being diverted to personal use by prison workers, claiming that such diversion was affecting the quality and quantity of food shared to the prisoners.

    But Ailewon, who described the allegations as “very strange”, said that they were not only untrue, but “impossible”’.

    “I do not know whether it used to happen before, but certainly not now, because we have put measures in place to ensure that nothing like that happens.

    “We have involved inmates’ representatives in the assessing, weighing and sharing of food.

    “The inmates’ representatives are deeply involved in the whole feeding processes; they check quantity and quality and reports their observations on daily business,” Ailewon said.

    He said that the prison service was a corrective agency, adding that its officers were corrective officers trained to ensure that the welfare of prisoners was never compromised.

    The Controller cautioned members of the public against destructive rumours that could paint prison workers in bad light in the eyes of prisoners and members of the public.

    The prison officer called for public support toward the success of efforts to make the prisoners corrective homes, and warned officers and men of the command against criminal tendencies that were inimical to the service’s mandate.