The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Prison

  • How kidnap suspects’ escaped from Warri prison

    How kidnap suspects’ escaped from Warri prison

    In the dead of a December night last year, four kidnap suspects awaiting trial woke up from their cell at the Okere Prisons in Warri, Delta State. Quietly they broke through the ceiling and landed down into the open courtyard of the prison. From there they managed to scale the nearly 100-feet high electric fence and jumped down into the dark night and the waiting arms of freedom.

    Revelations afterwards have shown that the escape was not so straight forward as that. An alleged foreplay between the escapees and the prison official that climaxed in the drama of that night remains an interesting subject of debate within, not just within security circles in the state, but among curious civilians and purveyors of rumour in the area.

    The works of investigators who have tried to deconstruct the audacious escape were hampered by the lack of eyewitness. They have merely relied on scrap of information gathered from the thin trail left behind by the escapees – bits and pieces of broken blocks, ceiling, tattered ropes, sharp and blank objects. The suspects were far gone, possibly out of the state, before the staff on duty woke up from their slumber to see what had happened.

    Niger Delta Report’s hope that the mystery had been solved necessitated a visit to the facility on Monday, over a month after the incident. But the silence of official and prisoners alike was as deafening as the morning after. The officers in charge of the prison, Mr Emma Omiede, a Deputy Comptroller of Prison refused to speak with our reporter. He said he had nothing to say about the incident and referred our reporter to the State headquarters of the service.

    The Delta Command Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Celestine Kalu, who was contacted by our reporter, said: “I don’t know anything about prison break; you should ask the prisons official.”

    one of the soldiers deployed to the area after the incident said the story surrounding the jailbreak was “very fascinating and confusing. It is the stuff that movies are made off. When we were younger we watched films like ‘Bangkok Hilton’ and recently ‘Prison Break’ and I tell you this is the closest to those films.

    “The reason this is really interesting is the height of the wall that the prisoners scaled. What you see from the outside is even shorter than what it is from the inside because the inside of the prison is set on a lower ground. How they still managed to climb and come down on the other side is what makes it more interesting.”

    Our source who craved anonymity, said the warders on duty that night later explained that after breaking out of their cells, the suspects made a long rope out of bed sheets and any other clothing items they could lay their hands on. With the rope, they made several futile attempts to climb out into freedom. The bits of ropes they left behind for bewildered prison officials told only a part of the story.

    Undeterred by the failure of the Tarzan routine, the felons were believed to have devised a more successful means: Using bundles of firewood, bricks and other available objects, they built a pile high enough to help them scale the high wall. The task, which could have taken up to two hours, was done without any of the guards on duty getting wind of it. By the morning the four alleged kidnappers who were arrested for the abduction of the son of a prominent politician in the state, had successfully escaped.

    Looking at the prison walls from the Okere Road, as this reporter did, it was difficult to comprehend how dozens of security operatives, including soldiers and mobile policemen on an Armoured Personnel Carrier and their colleagues from the NPS, slumbered away while those they were meant to guard escaped out of the Okere Federal Prison in Warri.

    “The feat achieved by the suspects is almost unmanageable and the story is too good to be real,” a resident of neighbouring Oki street told our reporter.

    The circumstance of the escape gets even more implausible, considering that security was beefed up around Federal Prisons in the country in the wake of recent attacks by Boko Haram Islamic set on such facilities and other incidents involving the Okere Prisons in recent times.

    Our investigation revealed that the incident was the second break from the heavily secured prison in barely three years. It would be recalled that a couple of prisoners escaped from the prison in July 2011, by blowing up a hole through the prison wall with suspected IED (improvised explosive device).

    That incident was followed by a daring attack on prison warders conveying suspected members of a kidnap ring to the court for trial. The suspected who successfully broke free were members of a gang alleged led by the notorious Kelvin Ibruvwe. The smash-and-grab operation was carried out in March 2013, two warders and at least four other persons were killed in that incident.

    None of these incidents above match the derring-do of the absconders of the December night prison break and none of the stories match it either in terms of the intricacy of plot or the fairytale ending. while all but a couple of the dozens that escaped in 2011 were arrested, the four men who slipped out of the ‘Okere High College’, as some residents of the city refer to the corrective facility, are yet to be found.

    There are suspicions of collaboration by some workers at the prison, particularly why the suspects were allowed to live in a cell that made it easier for them to escape. A retired staff of the prisons expressed surprised at how easily the prisons escaped, and also hinted that there was possible connivance with warders either on or off duty at the time of the break.

    “The cells that were supposed to be kept would have made it near impossible for them to contemplate or even successfully hatch the escape plan. This is because for one, the cell due them would have been one of the most secured cells considering the enormity of their alleged crime and the maximum sentence,” our source added.

    Our findings further revealed that some officials of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) attached to the prison usually collect gratifications from crime suspects and those awaiting trial and in return allot to them choice cells and undue privileges such as the use of GSM telephone, meals cooked specially for them.

    A former prisoner there told our reporter, “It is like a hotel; when you pay a certain amount of money, there are certain facilities and privileges that you are entitled to. This might not be the same as those who merely pay for the basic amenities in the hotel. So, although all prisons are equal, some are more equal than others.”

    Our source who asked not to be named to avoid stigmatization, revealed some prisoners live like royalty in detention. He said a very notorious thug who was in the prison for several years was so comfortable within the facility that ran his private businesses and executed more crimes from detention.

    “The man (names withheld) one of the notorious hoodlums from Uvwie area of the state. He was allowed regular visit by his girlfriends and other family members and he made telephone calls to top politicians and about anybody.”

    Meanwhile, in response to the incident, the prison authority and security operative in the state have thrown a very suffocating security ring around the infamous prison. A blockade, about 500km long, covers the entrance to the prison. The busy Okere Road has been closed to traffic from Essi Junction to the Robert Road U-Turn point. Traffic flow onward Okere Post Office is restricted to a single lane on the other side of the road, much to the chagrin of angry residents and motorists who are forced to sluice through the available single-lane are fuming silently. A taxi driver likened the situation to “shutting the gate when the goat had already escaped.”

     

  • Prison authority plans yuletide celebration for prison inmates in Lagos

    The Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Prison Service on Wednesday said that it would give inmates kind treatments during yuletide.

     The command’s spokesman,Mr Biyi Jeje, told reporters that the inmates would be made to feel at  home.

    He said that they would be given adequate food  for the yuletide.

    “The way everyone is celebrating Christmas in his house is exactly the way it would be celebrated in the prisons too.

    “The only thing is that they are denied their rights.

    “Each prison will get two cows to celebrate the yuletide,’’ he said.

    The spokesman further said that all prisons in the state had held carol services.

    “Every prison held carol service during which family and friends of the inmates came to celebrate with them.

    “Food and drinks were allowed, but alcohol was not served.

    “All the food and drinks were in plastics, no canned or bottled drink was allowed into the prisons,’’ he said.

    Jeje appealed to corporate organisations to imbibe the habit of celebrating yuletide with inmates for them to feel appreciated.

    He also said that the ban on the use of mobile phones was still in force in the command.

    According to him, there is a call centre in each prison where inmates could go and make calls.

    “The ban on use of personal phones is in full force as directed by the Federal Government.

    “All prisons have call centres with designated phones in the welfare office, so it is unlawful for any inmates to have a personal phone,’’ he said.

    Jeje said that the centres were meant for inmates to communicate with their families.

  • Businessman in jail for cheating

    A 32-year-old businessman, John Daniel, has been sentenced to 24 months imprisonment at A Grade 1 Area Court in Aso Pada, Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

    The presiding Judge, Mr. Albert Maga, convicted the businessman after he pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of breach of trust and cheating.

    Maga, however, gave the convict an option to pay N6, 000 fine or remain in Keffi Prison for 24 months and also ordered him to give N140, 000 as compensation to the complainant.

    The prosecutor, Cpl. Friday Adaji, had told the court that the matter was reported at the ‘A’ Divisional Police Station, Mararaba, on Dec. 15 by Mrs. Ego Godwin of down Quarter, Mararaba.

    Adaji said sometimes in January 2014, the convict of same address came to the complainant and asked her to join a contribution of N8, 000 with over 20 other people, which she accepted.

    He said the convict told her that she would receive N140, 000 as her contribution in June 2014, but that she went for her husband’s burial and therefore could not receive the money.

    Adaji added that when she came back, the convict refused to give her the money and converted it to his personal use without her consent.

    The prosecutor said that the offences contravened the provisions of sections 312 and 322 of the Penal Code.

    The convict pleaded guilty to the charges leveled against him.

  • Fear grips residents as gunmen attack Ekiti prison

    Fear grips residents as gunmen attack Ekiti prison

    The peaceful night rest of residents of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, was on November 30 shattered by a vicious attack on the federal prisons located on Afao Road by gunmen whose identity is yet to be known. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA examines the impact of the attack.

    They were having a sound sleep in preparation for the hustling and bustling of a week which promises to be busy. Night had fallen, the birds in the surrounding bush chirping away and nocturnal harmattan breeze penetrating the inner recesses of the homes nearby.

    There was absolute silence in an area a bit far from the city centre, human and vehicular movement almost nil as it is in most parts of Ado-Ekiti, a city where residents retire to bed so early.

    Shops were closed, schools, offices, places of worship under lock and key with the unpredictability of darkness looming large. Most of the residents would have greeted one another “goodnight” hoping to exchange the “good morning greetings again in few hours’ time.

    They never knew that danger was lurking around; they never knew that death was around the corner lying in wait ferociously for the next prey in a country where life is seemingly cheap.

    As most of the inhabitants of Ado-Ekiti were already in their sleep, the messengers of death crept in unannounced, armed with lethal weapons to be unleashed with fury never witnessed before.

    Their target: the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti tucked away in what used to be a virgin land off Afao Road in the North-eastern flank of the city.

    Residents whose houses are not far from the prisons were woken up by loud sound of blazing guns, dynamites and other leather weapons unleashed on the facility.

    One after the other, they were forced to wake up, with some saying their last prayers because they thought the enemy was already at their doorposts.

    Some turned themselves to emergency prayer warriors urging the Almighty to come to their aid and save them from the jaws of death.

    Who could they be? Where are they coming from? What was their mission? When will they leave? Are they Boko Haram militants? Are they armed robbers? Why the booming guns and other weapons of mass destruction in one of most peaceful neighbourhoods of Ado-Ekiti?

    More questions but unfortunately answers were not forthcoming immediately. But they got to know in the early hours of Monday that it was the prisons that were attacked.

    Even with the cessation of gunfire, many were still afraid to venture out of their homes for fear of the unknown. Terror-stricken residents who had the courage to move out gathered in groups discussing the incidents in hushed tones.

    After the smoke of the attack had cleared, at least one prison officer was dead, 20 security dogs killed, the main prison gate blown off and palpable fear enveloped the city.

    Originally, the prison has the capacity to hold 200 inmates but it contained 435 inmates at the time of the attack. They are made up of convicted inmates, condemned inmates and awaiting trial inmates.

    The facility is relatively new; having been inaugurated for use in 2012 following its relocation from the old site in Okesa, very close to the Government House in the heart of the city.

    The relocation of the old facility apart from the fact that it was too congested was also to make way for the construction of the Civic Centre and Museum.

    The old prisons, apart from being located in the heart of Ado-Ekiti, was also very close to the state judiciary headquarter, housing the High Courts and the Magistrates’ Courts where inmates on trial are taken on their respective dates.

    This means that when the prison was located on its former site, inmates on trial used to arrive in the court between two or three minutes depending on the traffic situation of the day.

    All that has changed since the facility was relocated to Afao Road, about eight kilometres from the old site. People in this area are used to the blaring of siren from prison vehicles conveying inmates on trial to courts on their appointed dates.

    From all indications, the attack was least prepared for by officers and men of the Ado-Ekiti Prisons despite the similar ones carried out in other parts of the country.

    To the officers and men of the Ekiti State Command of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), it was a bolt from the blues and a hit below the belt which will never be forgotten in a hurry; being the first time they were experiencing such an attack.

    The Nation gathered from credible prison sources that the gunmen invaded the facility at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 30 and operated unhindered till about 1: 45 a.m. on Monday.

    As soon as they stormed the prisons, the gunmen detonated a bomb and launched an orgy of shootings that lasted for about 45 minutes.

    Some prisons sources claimed that the gunmen, who were believed to be about 60 in number, arrived in Hilux vans and chanted “Allahu Akbar”, “Allahu Akbar”, “Allahu Akbar” announcing their arrival with staccato of gunshots.

    This initially gave them away as Boko Haram extremists but another source said it couldn’t have been Boko Haram insurgents on the grounds that “no member of the terrorist group is being held inside the facility”.

    The source said the chants of “Allahu Akbar” chanted by the gunmen might have been a dummy to mask the identity and confused their victims about their real identity.

    A prisons officer was killed in the incident while unspecified number of men of the service was injured in the attack.

    A woman believed to be the wife of the slain officer was wailing controllably. She was being consoled by sympathisers and later led away from the scene.

    The impact of the bombing on the facility was felt in places like Adebayo, Oke-Ila, Fajuyi, Okesa and the Ekiti State University (EKSU) campus and the adjoining Iworoko community.

    The loud bang of the bombing was deafening to the extent that inmates fled in various directions either to escape being killed by the invading gunmen or to use the opportunity of the confusion to run away from justice.

    As soon as the Ekiti State Police Command got wind of the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu led battle-ready men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to the scene.

    With the departure of the gunmen, all the police could do was to weave a heavy security cordon around the facility to prevent a further attack and escape of more inmates.

    Reporters who learnt of the incident were denied entry into the facility which was guarded by fully-armed security men. They were not allowed to take the pictures of the affected parts of the facility.

    The State Comptroller of Prisons, Mr. Kehinde Fadipe, described the incident as “both bombing and shooting”.

    He denied being aware of any prison officer killed, even as he expressed regrets that a good number of inmates were released by the gunmen.

    Fadipe, who was apparently disturbed by the incident, could not immediately give the exact number of those who escaped, saying his command would give a figure of escapees later.

    Fadipe said: “We are moving around to assess the situation. It was not a jailbreak but an attack on the prison. The main entrance of the prison was broken.

    “What happened was that we were attacked from outside and not from within, they came massively with different weapons. They attacked our men on duty and we had been around since 10:30 p.m. yesterday (Sunday).”

    The prisons chief revealed that some of the inmates who escaped are being re-arrested, adding that he had been assured of co-operation by sister security agencies in a bid to arrest more of the escapees.

    Fadipe said he did not believe that the attack was carried out by Boko Haram, stressing that none of their members is being held at the prisons.

    He also dismissed insinuations in some quarters that members of the O’odua Peoples Congress (OPC) carried out the attack in a bid to free their leader, Niyi Adedipe, who is on remand at the prisons for murder.

    Fadipe said Adedipe was still inside the prison yard and did not make any attempt to escape.

    Despite the fact that the attack, from all indications, was similar to the ones recorded in various parts of the country and appeared not to be politically-motivated, it was later clothed in the garb of politics by local politicians who had been at each others’ throats over some issues.

    A news item on the attack which was described as “ breaking news” was related by presenters of a popular Yoruba newspaper review programme,  ”Lati Inu Aka” on the state-owned Ekiti 91.5 FM sparked a big row between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The presenters of the programme claimed that the information they received was to the effect that the attack was allegedly carried out by suspected APC thugs to free OPC leader Adedipe also known as “Apase”.

    Adedipe is being held on remand in connection with the murder of a former Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Omolafe Aderiye.

    Also being held inside the prison yard in connection with the killing of the former NURTW boss is the acting chairman of the state chapter of the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Bayo Aderiye also known as Ojugo.

    The allegation enraged the opposition camp in the state which described it as another ploy by the PDP-led administration which controls the radio station to tarnish the image of the APC and frame up opposition politicians.

    The state APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, in a telephone chat with reporters denied the involvement of his party in the attack on prisons, wondering what will his party gain in launching an attack on the prisons.

    “What shall we gain for doing that? We cannot do such things. It is not in our character to do such things.

    ”Very soon, the PDP and the governor will have to accuse God for running a clueless government and for their shortcoming.

    “This is a figment of imagination of a clueless government and I want to ask, is it the APC that is in charge of the prison or the security of the state?

    “It is the figment of their imagination that the APC is connected with the breaking of the prison. We don’t know anything about it.”

    Governor Ayo Fayose, in his immediate reaction, condemned the attack on the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti by gunmen, saying those who perpetrated the attack will not know peace.

    The governor stated this while performing the swearing-in of the new Head of Service, Mr. Gbenga Faseluka, five Permanent Secretaries and three special advisers.

    Speaking at the event, Fayose described the gunmen who blew up the prisons as “evil people”, regretting the escape of many prisoners in the attack.

    He said: “We regret the jailbreak perpetrated by the evil people who led to the escape of many inmates.

    “I want you to know that I have the grace of God on me and whoever plans against us shall be destroyed. My prayer is that they will not know peace.”

    Meanwhile, the state police command has declared that no stone would be left unturned to apprehend the fleeing inmates as it is collaborating with the authorities of the prisons to arrest the escapees.

    The state police spokesman, Victor Babayemi disclosed that the vicinity of the prisons has been cordoned off while security in and around the place has been tightened.

    He further revealed that some of the escapees have been re-arrested while others still at large are being trailed.

    Babayemi urged residents not to panic on the incident as the “situation has been brought under control”.

    At the time of writing this report, a total number of 193 out of the 435 inmates who were inside the facility at the time of the attack, have been re-captured. This was disclosed in Abuja by the NPS spokesperson, Ope Fatinikun.

    While explaining that efforts are on to apprehend those who are still at large, Fatinikun appealed to Nigerians, especially the nearest communities and neighbouring states of Ondo, Kogi, Kwara, Osun and Edo to be vigilant and watch out for suspicious individuals and report them to the nearest prisons or police stations.

    Still angered by the development, Governor Fayose called for the immediate transfer of all officers of the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti out of the state for their alleged negligence and dereliction of duty which aided the attack.

    Fayose, during a visit to the facility, expressed anger with the prison officials for allegedly allowing inmates access to telephones and other electronic gadgets which he suspected contributed in one way or the other to the attack.

    He regretted that allowing hardened criminals facing serious charges like murder, rape, robbery and other violent crimes access to communication gadgets constitute a high security risk.

    The governor predicated his demand on the suspicion that prison officials might have connived with the unknown gunmen who stormed the place and freed over 300 inmates.

    He said: “The way and manner the bloody attack was successfully carried out without much resistance suggested suspicion of connivance.”

    Fayose wondered why the prisons authorities failed to use the tower at the facility.

    During the governor’s visit, there was a scuffle among some prison officials and journalists.

    The shouting match was due to the overzealousness of some prison officials who were not comfortable with the presence of newsmen who insisted on taking photographs.

    This enraged the prison officer but the situation was later brought under control following the intervention of senior officers and officials in the governor’s convoy.

    However, the state police boss, Lakanu has expressed the readiness of the state command to assist the Federal Prisons, Ado-Ekiti in beefing up security around the premises.

    He told newsmen while on a follow-up visit to the prisons that since it was apparent that the combatant men and arms squad unit of the prisons could not manage the security situation at the prison alone, his men would be deployed to ensure reinforcement.

    Lakanu revealed that the escapee inmates who were picked up at various towns such as Ido-Ekiti, Ikere-Ekiti and Ado-Ekiti were currently being detained at various police stations in the state.

    The attack on the Ado-Ekiti Prisons has affected court cases involving inmates at the Magistrate’s Courts and High Courts in the Ado-Ekiti Judicial Division.

    Many of the suspects usually brought to court are believed to have escaped during the attack on the prisons.

    Some of the inmates who fled the prisons voluntarily returned and turned themselves over to the authorities.

    The gunmen opened doors for all inmates at the prison facility and asked them to escape, The Nation gathered.

    The state police command spokesman, Babayemi, at another forum disclosed that “the very notorious ones facing murder and robbery charges” are among those just apprehended.

    Babayemi revealed that the OPC leader Adedipe a.k.a. Apase and RTEAN chief Aderiye were not among those who escaped.

    He said Lakanu personally led a patrol team to a “notorious spot” where 10 of the escapees were arrested after what he called a “serious exchange of gunfire”.

    According to him, the escapees were picked up in different parts of the state through the efforts of various police divisions, saying efforts are still on to apprehend inmates who are still at large.

    Babayemi revealed that those re-arrested would be charged for a fresh offence of jailbreak which he described as a criminal offence, saying escaping from lawful custody constitutes a new offence.

    He said: “The CP led a team yesterday (Monday) night to some of the hideouts and there was a serious exchange of gunfire. We had intelligence report where they were hiding.

    “At that notorious spot, 10 of those who escaped were re-arrested but no life was lost. But I want to add that investigation continues.

    “Operation is still ongoing, the DPOs are still bringing their reports and we have also asked the prisons authorities to give us the actual number of the escapees.

    “Some of them said they ran for cover to escape being hit by the bullets fired by the gunmen. Apase and Ojugo were not among the notorious ones re-arrested.

    “The attackers opened the cell doors and told them to escape; it was not a natural occurrence some people are behind the attack. We are investigating it to determine if there is any complicity.”

    Fayose, who denied harbouring the prison escapees in the Government House accused the APC of harbouring inmates who escaped from the prison, accusing the party of fabricating lies.

    The governor said the APC is making the latest allegation with the intention of diverting the attention of the public from their “criminal tendencies”.

    The APC, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Chief Olatubosun, accused Governor Fayose of complicity in the attack on the prison following conflicting statements on the incident between him and his aide, Lere Olayinka.

    The party said while the governor blamed the prison officials for complicity, Olayinka accused APCý of masterminding the crime to free Niyi Adedipe, who was in prison custody over alleged complicity in the murder of drivers’ union boss, Omolafe Aderiye.

     

  • Minna Prison Break: 64 inmates re-arrested

    Sixty four out of the 275 inmates who escaped during an invasion by a gang of unidentified gunmen ‎on the Minna Medium Security Prison have been arrested.

    This leaves 211 of the escaped inmates still at large.

    The Controller General of Prisons, Dr. Peter Ezinwa Ekpendo ruled out the dreaded Boko Haram as being responsible for the attack on the Prison facility.

    The visibly sad Controller General who assumed office barely 24 hours before the invasion of the Prison told newsmen after on-the-spot assessment of the attacked facility on Sunday described the incident as “unfortunate, embarrassing and completely unacceptable”.

    He said the service in conjunction with other security agencies have launched massive search parties within and outside the state to effect the re-arrest of escaped prisoners.

    The Prison boss said that full scale investigation has since been instituted to x-ray the sad incident and vowed that “any officer found culpable in the unfortunate incident will face the full wrath of the law”.

    Ekpendo then ordered the immediate transfer 55 officers from the state and zonal headquarters of the service to the Minna Medium Security Prison and Minna Old Prison to beef up the security in the two facilities.

    On speculations that the attack may have been masterminded by the outlawed Boko Haram group, Controller General said, “preliminary report shows that there is no evidence to link Boko Haram to the Prison break incident of Saturday.”

    The Controller General then assured the President and the nation that the recent security challenges and attacks on prison yard will be tackled head-on.

    “I am assuring the President and Minister of Interior that the security challenges facing us will be tackled head-on. Justice must be done and restoration security of the prisons shall be paramount.”

    The 160 bed prison facility was on Saturday attacked by unknown gunmen at about 4:30pm leading to the escape of 275 inmates.

  • Kogi jail break: External forces attacked us – Comptroller

    Kogi jail break: External forces attacked us – Comptroller

    The Comptroller of Prisons, Aminu Suley, Monday accused “external forces” for the attack on the federal medium security prisons, Koton-Karfe, in Kogi State.
    Attackers Sunday night broke through the prison wall to free all the 145 inmates and vandalizing the record office.
    The attackers, sources claimed operated for over three hours unchallenged.
    While 12 of the inmates who escaped later returned, one died from bullet injuries.
    This is the second time in two years suspected insurgents are overrunning the Koton-Karfi prison to free inmates.
    In 2011, 119 inmates on awaiting trial were freed by the attackers and many never returned.
    “The security men came when the damage had been done,” said the source.
    The Comptroller of Prisons who spoke when the State Governor , Capt.  Idris Wada visited him, said the attackers forcefully released 144 prisoners.

    He said that 26 of the escapees are convicted prisoners, while 119 were awaiting trial for “robbery, culpable homicide and other offences”.
    He pleaded with the governor to prevail on the judiciary to wake up to their responsibilities through speedy trial of suspects awaiting trial.
    He said some of the inmates have no business being in the prison.
    Gov. Wada said that he will continue to collaborate with the prison service and the Federal Government to ensure completion of the new prison in the area.
    He promised to invoke his power on prerogative of mercy to help bring about reduction in the number of inmates languishing in jail without trial.
    Wada also promised to prevail on the state Chief Judge to also exercise his power of prerogative of mercy.

  • Prison is my university, says freed suspect

    Prison is my university, says freed suspect

    Despite wasting six years in incarceration at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Ikoyi in Lagos for an offence he did not commit, a freed armed robbery suspect yesterday said he was happy to have undergone the ordeal.

    Kelvin Robert, 40, was remanded in prison custody in 2008 after he was arrested at his Mba Street, Ajegunle residence by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), for allegedly being an accomplice to armed robbery.

    Robert, who said he was a commercial driver, disclosed that his ordeal started after his friend in the neighbourhood, who was caught with stolen items and weapons, fingered him as a partner in crime.

    While his co-accused was freed by former Lagos Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Philips during one of her prison visits, Robert remained in prison until yesterday when Justice Raliatu Adebiyi of a Lagos High Court, Igbosere discharged and acquitted him.

    Speaking to The Nation after regaining freedom, Robert said he considers himself lucky to have been incarcerated because to him, the prison is a university.

    “I have never gone for any robbery operation in my life. I knew the first accused person because he was my friend but I never knew he was a robber. I knew him as a hustler, who goes to Tincan Island to do menial jobs.

    “I was a danfo driver before I was arrested. I was told the guy was caught during an operation and that he was locked up for six months before he mentioned me as his partner. That was how I landed in the hands of SARS men after three months we were charged to court,” he said.

    “From the court, we were taken straight to Kirikiri prison. I was in the prison without trial until this year when a human rights lawyer came and asked me why I was being held. After explaining everything to him, he told me not to worry that he would pursue my matter.

    “Suddenly, my name was announced among those who were to be taken to court. My lawyer was not present the first day, but from the next day, he was always available. When trial started, the court asked the prosecutor to provide its witnesses and exhibits but on several occasions, nothing was provided.

    “When we came to court on June 27, the judge gave the prosecutor the last chance to provide its witnesses and exhibits and adjourned the matter till October 21 and so, when the prosecutor could still not provide its witnesses, the judge struck out the case,” he added.

    Robert said he learnt how to acknowledge God’s supremacy while in prison, adding that he now seeks God’s face in everything he does.

    “Prison to me was like a university. I learnt a lot of things I never knew. I learnt how to be patient in life. So, I do not see prison as a place of punishment or suffering. Though I was locked up for doing nothing, I am happy I had to go through that experience.

    “I see prison as a learning ground. We were being fed well and properly taken care of. Prison has made me a better person. So, I do not regret anything,” said Robert.

  • ‘How judges, magistrates contribute to prison congestion’

    ‘How judges, magistrates contribute to prison congestion’

    The Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) has attributed the growing incidence of congestion in prisons and death of inmates to the delay in the nation’s criminal justice system and attitude of prosecutors, who mostly do not handle cases diligently.

    The NPS argued that judges and magistrates engage in delay and abuse their pre-trial detention discretion. It queried the wisdom in the practice where prosecuting agencies bring multiple charges against accused persons in different courts, when such cases could be consolidated and tried with dispatch.

    The Service,  in a statement issued in Abuja by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ope Fatinikun, reacted to allegations linking it with the deaths of some prison inmates. It denied involvement in the illegal killing of inmates as claimed in a recent publication by rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN).

    Citing the most recent case of death in prison of the alleged trans-border criminal, Hamanni Tijanni, Fatinikun said the late inmate died as an awaiting trial, having been on trial for over 10 years, during which he was taken to various courts for more than 100 times.

    Tijanni’s cases, Fatinikun said, were never completed before he died.  Tijanni, from Benin Republic, was being tried for his alleged complicity in the robbery attempt on the vehicles conveying the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo. He was first remanded in the Maximum Security Prison, Lagos by a Chief Magistrate Court in Ijebu- Ode, Ogun State on June 22, 2003. He remained in prison until his death.

    “Tijanni, was remanded in Maximum Security Prison,Kirikiri, Lagos on June 22, 2003 by the Chief Magistrate Court, Ijebu-Ode, for allegedly receiving stolen property. On December 12, 2003 an Abeokuta High Court also detained him, having been charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery. A Lagos High Court remanded him on February 14, 2004 for allegedly receiving stolen property.

    “Trial in the Abeokuta High Court case began on 2nd February 2005. Despite the constraint of inadequate vehicles at the Lagos State Command, a vehicle was dedicated to him (Tijanni) since he was standing trial in multiple cases in different locations in Lagos and Ogun States,” he said.

    Fatinikun said Tijanni was taken to courts 194 times before he died on December 19, last year. He gave details to include:  Chief Magistrate Court, Ijebu-Ode, 50 times; Abeokuta High Court, 37 times and the Lagos High Court, 117 times.

    “On December 7, 2007, after about four and a half years, as awaiting trial person, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Ijebu-Ode Court; the Abeokuta High Court discharged him for lack of diligent prosecution, while the Lagos High Court was still hearing his case till his death.

    “The Maximum Security Prison, Kirikiri has a referral hospital, which caters for the medical needs of all inmates in Lagos. The hospital runs 24 hours and usually has about four doctors on shift duty.

    “On admission, Tijanni was diagnosed with hypertension and was placed on drugs. But on February 20, 2011, his condition deteriorated, the hypertension became severe and he was immediately admitted into the Maximum Prison’s referral hospital.

    “On February 13, last year, Tijanni took voluntary discharge from the hospital and refused medication despite his blood pressure being very high and as against medical advice. The Welfare Section of the prison referred him to the Counseling Unit. The Controller of Prisons, Lagos State Command advised him against such action, but all efforts proved abortive.

    “Sadly, on the night of June 16, last year, Tijanni had a left sided stroke and was rushed to the Maximum Security Prison’s referral hospital, where he was initially admitted for stabilisation. On June 18,  (less than 48hrs after the initial stroke) he was referred to the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo, Lagos (with card no 07-08-38).

    “He was seen by a cardiologist, and Physiotherapist and treatment started the same day. He was usually taken to the Navy Hospital every two days and was always seen by the Cardiologist as and when due.Based on his condition, the prisons formerly wrote the Lagos State’s Attorney-General on Mr. Tijanni’s health challenges and the need to expedite action on his trial, which was characterised by frequent adjournments.

    “To this effect, on December 24,  the Attorney-General of Lagos State sent a team of doctors from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) to ascertain the health conditions of Mr. Tijanni. The team examined him and took samples for investigations. The team promised to come back, but never did until his death.

    “Finally, Mr Hamanni Tijanni died in his sleep on December 19. All necessary agencies were notified and autopsy was carried out by the Lagos State Government in the presence of members of his family and lawyers. The report of the autopsy is available ,” Fatinikun said.

  • Ogun CJ releases 39 inmates

    OGUN State Chief Judge Olatokunbo Olopade has ordered the release of 39 inmates in four of the state’s five prisons.

    Twelve inmates were released at Ilaro, nine at Oba, 12 at Abeokuta and eight at Ijebu-Ode, after the chief judge visited the four prisons.

    She also visited the Sagamu Prison.

    Justice Olopade said the exercise, which was to have taken place in July, was moved to this month following the judicial workers’ strike.

    “Even though the courts are on vacation, we will ensure the welfare of the inmates and decongest the prisons by setting free those inmates awaiting trial on the grounds of no–case file and some inmates who have no charges against them,” she said.

    Justice Olopade, who noted that the gesture would bring succour to the released inmates, hoped that they would have learnt their lessons and would live as good citizens.

    She said the government had assured that it would assist the criminal justice sector.

    This, the chief judge added, would ensure that criminal cases were brought to court promptly by approving funds for the duplication of case files to eradicate delay in justice dispensation.

    She said the Ministry of Justice would be provided with adequate funds to bring witnesses to court to fast-track criminal cases.

    The chief judge appealed to the police command to work effectively with the ministry in the discharge of their duties toward speedy dispensation of justice.

    The state Comptroller of Prisons, Mr. Joseph Olanrele, lamented the lack of adequate facilities in the prisons.

    He noted that some inmates had been in prison custody since 2008 without trial, leading to congestion in prisons.

    Such a situation, he said, could lead to a security breach.

  • Judge remands 20 suspected vandals in prison

    Judge remands 20 suspected vandals in prison

    Justice Okon Abang of the Lagos Federal High Court has ordered that 20 suspected pipeline vandals be remanded in prison over the Arepo, Ogun State shootout last May.

    His order followed the arraignment of the accused by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism.

    The accused, comprising two women and 18 men, were arraigned on a 12-count charge of killing seven policemen in the encounter that led to an explosion at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline.

    They are: Felix Yayu, Ijoufaya Legbe, Yakubu Ebiwei, Augustine Ebiwei, Tamara Dembofa, Owei Atile, Agbara Tiewei, Rufus Godwin, Tierry Koiyetin, Ebis Sobijoh, and Ibori Lawrence.

    Others are: Eberebu Ibori, Atinuke Odewale, Fatai Bolaji Ishola, Ahmed Bashoru, Odewale Waheed, Susan Vianana, Tuesday Filatei, Yeiyah Yello and Ismail Abdullahi.

    On May 24, The Nation reported that there was a shootout between some suspected vandals and policemen attached to the Special Task Force, leading to an explosion and disappearance of nine policemen.

    The missing policemen are Inspectors: Kolawole Oguntihemen, Raymond Oriere, Usman Mohammed, Tijani Jimoh, and Corporals Elogbamen Timothy, Yakubu Aliyu, Usman Abdukarim and Dauda Mohammed.

    The charge reads:  ”That you, Felix Yayu, 20 others and some others at large on May 24, 2014 at about 9am, at Arepo area, near Ikorodu, Lagos State in Lagos Judicial Divisions, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit; tampering with oil pipeline and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 of the Federation.”

    The sixth count reads: “That you, Felix Yayu, 20 others and others still at large on May 24, 2014 at about 9am at Arepo area near Lagos in the Lagos Judicial Division of this Honorable Court did unlawfully kill one Inspector Raymond Oriere by shooting him with a pump-action gun and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code Cap C38 Laws of the Federation 2004.”

    The prosecution led by Matthew Omosu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the offence is punishable under the criminal code, noting that the accused pleaded not guilty.

    Justice Abang promised a speedy trial because of the nature of the case. The female accused were remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Prison; the men were taken to Ikoyi Prison. He adjourned the case till August 19 and 20 for trial.

    A team of investigators led by Xpress Omogui, DSP from the Force Headquarters, Abuja witnessed the proceedings.