The Nation Newspaper

Tag: prisoners

  • No Prisoner escaped in Bus accident – NPS

    The Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Friday denied the escape of any prisoner in an accident that occurred along Mile 2, Badagry Express in Lagos.

    According to a statement issued in Abuja on the development by the NPS Public Relations Officer, Francis Enobore: “The attention of the Nigerian Prisons Service has been drawn to publications in some news media that a Prison Bus conveying some prisoners to court rammed into a stationary truck along Mile 2, Badagry Express in Lagos and that a number of prisoners escaped in the incident.

    “Whereas it is true that an accident involving a prison bus did happen along Badagry Express Way, the reported escape of prisoners in the vehicle is false.

    “To put the record straight, the prison bus left Badagry prison with 27 prisoners and had already dropped 26 of them in various courts leaving just 1 inmate and 5 staff including the driver in the vehicle when the accident occurred at about 1045hrs.

    “The inmate did not sustain any injury and was returned safely to the prison. A separate vehicle was deployed to evacuate the other 26 prisoners from their various courts back to the prison. Although 2 of the staff members and some occupants of the other vehicle with whom they collided had serious injuries, there was however no death. The injured are being attended to in hospitals and they are responding to treatment even as we fervently pray for their quick recovery.

    “While the unfortunate incident is highly regretted, it is important to restate that no prisoner escaped and none sustain any injury.”

  • Prisoners escape as service vehicle collides with truck in Lagos

    There was commotion in the Badagry area of Lagos State, following the fleeing of some prison inmates who were being taken to court.

    The incident was said to have occurred around 7am, at Beyuf Bus Stop on the Badagry Expressway, after a long bus belonging to the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) rammed into a Stationary truck.

    It was learnt that several persons sustained injuries and as the prison officers were trying to calm nerves, many of the inmates were said to have fled.

    At the time of filing this report, The Nation gathered that efforts were in top gear to arrest the escaped inmates, some of whom sustained injuries.

    An official of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) who pleaded anonymity the incident said the headlamp of the NPS was not bright and the driver did not see the stationary vehicle in good time.

    He alleged that the occupants of the bus were trapped inside for hours before the arrival of some people.

    “It rammed into the back of the truck headlong. Those inside the bus were trapped for sometime before one of the officials opened the door to allow rescuers carry out emergency work. Amidst the concussion, some of the prisoners escaped. The injured persons were taken to the hospital,” he said.

    An official of the Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) told our correspondent that the service has commenced manhunt for the escapees.

  • ISIS makes half Nigerian four-year-old execute prisoners

    ISIS makes half Nigerian four-year-old execute prisoners

    A four-year-old British boy dubbed “Junior Jihadi” has once again been used in a revolting ISIS propaganda video, this time showing him detonating explosives in a car with three captives strapped inside.

    Isa Dare, who was taken to Syria by his Nigeria born mom, Grace “Khadija” Dare, is seen with a young man who addressed the UK with a scarf covering his face.

    “You will never fight us except behind fortified fortresses or behind walls,” he said, the Independent of the UK reported.

    He then mentions spies sent to Syria and the killing of “our brothers” in the West.

    “So, today, we’re going to kill your spies the same way they helped you kill our brothers,” he said. “So prepare your army and gather your nations, for we too are preparing our army.”

    The three doomed captives, wearing the familiar orange jumpsuits, first offer their “confessions” before being cuffed inside the vehicle.

    Little Isa, clad in combat fatigues, makes an “OK” sign, presses a detonator to blow up the car and yells “Allahu akbar!” (God is great!).

    British Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokeswoman said officials were studying the vile video – insisting it was proof that ISIS is losing ground in Syria and Iraq.

    “As we’ve said before, releasing such propaganda is an example of a terrorist group feeling under pressure,” she said.

    The exploitative video is believed to have been shot in Raqqa, ISIS’ de facto capital in Syria.

    Last month, Isa was seen gesturing toward what appeared to be the same car in another execution video.

  • Governor pardons 12 prisoners

    Taraba State Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku at the weekend pardoned 12 prisoners.

    He told them: “”Go and sin no more.”

    The pardoned prisoners included Muhammed Bobbo, Ahmed Muhammed, Hamidu Ibrahim, Abdullahi Buba and Hamma Adama Hassan.

    Others were Tery Danji, Abdullahi Ali, Ayuba Tumba,  Mustapha Abubakar, Saarther Ugbe, Umaru Gidado and Muhammed Lawan.

    The governor said the gesture was to mark the 55th

    independence anniversary.

    A statement by Ishaku’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Hassan Mijinyawa,  said: “The inmates were pardoned for being of good conduct while serving their jail terms.”

     

  • Ganduje frees 14 prisoners

    Ganduje frees 14 prisoners

    Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has released 14 persons serving terms at the Kano Central Prison.

    He said the gesture was to make them become responsible citizens, adding that the release was effected after he agreed to settle the fines imposed on them.

    The governor said compassion and magnanimity were attributes expected to be exhibited by any Muslim, most especially when a person was in need of assistance, stressing that releasing the 14 convicts  would make them to reconsider intention to commit crimes in future.

    He said: “As we have effected your release, you are expected to be of good and unquestionable conduct. Committing crimes does not pay under whatever guise. Your colleagues in prison will love to regain freedom too.

    “Try as much as you can to prove that you are grateful for the gesture by becoming responsible citizens in future. Our society will be better off if the level of crimes reduces.”

  • Taliban storms Afghan jail, releases prisoners

    Taliban insurgents stormed a mud fort being used as a prison in Afghanistan on Monday, killing policemen and releasing more than 400 inmates.

    Officials said that the insurgents also attacked troops who came to the rescue of the policemen.

    The latest Taliban prison raid, on the outskirts of the central city of Ghazni, comes after setbacks for the government in different parts of the country and deadly attacks in Kabul which have dashed hopes for peace talks.

    Mohammed Ali Ahmadi, Deputy City Governor, said that out of the 400 prisoners that escaped, about 80 had been recaptured and 352 were on the run, including about 150 Taliban.

    Ahmadi noted that seven Taliban and four members of the security forces were killed in the attack.

    “Roads to the prison were covered with land mines in advance to avoid reinforcement.

    “An army vehicle coming for reinforcements was blown up by a roadside bomb while trying to reach the prison,’’ he said.

    The governor said that the prison did not have heavy security because it was so close to Ghazni – only seven km (4.3 miles) from the city centre – and it was believed that reinforcements would get there quickly in the event of trouble.

    One security official said the attackers, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles, were wearing Afghan security force uniforms.

    Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid while taking responsibility for the attack said that gunmen and three suicide bombers attacked the prison at 2 a.m. (2200 GMT Sunday).

    “Three bombers were killed while 40 Afghan security forces and prison guards were killed in the prison break.

    “Some important military mujahideen officials have been freed,’’ Mujahid said, referring to Islamist fighters.

    The Taliban often exaggerate casualty tolls in statements about their attacks.

    The Taliban are fighting to overthrow the foreign-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani, expel foreign forces from Afghanistan and impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

  • On PDP’s ‘prisoners of war’

    On PDP’s ‘prisoners of war’

    Leading chieftains of the defeated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) still regard the last general election in the country as a war lost. And even in defeat, they’re carrying on as a band of renegade soldiers still smarting from the side effects of defeat. If you disagree, how do you explain a recent statement by the party’s spokesman, Olisa Metuh, accusing the Federal Government of treating PDP members like prisoners of war?

    He made the party position known while addressing party stakeholders in Lokoja.  He said: “We are being treated as if we are prisoners of war. We are being treated as if we are refugees. We are not afraid, we have faith in our strength and unity; faith in the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria.”

    And his reason for this unusual submission is none other than the simple fact that some individuals, who happen to be members of his troubled party, have been asked to explain some of their activities while in one public office or the other. To Metuh, this is the aftermath of losing a war.

    “We condemn the uncivilised method of arrest, intimidation and the denial of the fundamental human rights of members of our party who served in the last administration by the Buhari led administration,” he said. He accused the All Progressives Congress led administration of witch-hunting.

    Coming from Metuh, the submission shouldn’t be strange to keen observers of the nation’s politics, for it was the same man who justified former First Lady, Patience Jonathan’s charge to PDP women to see the then forthcoming election as “a war against the enemies of Nigeria.” Back then, Metuh saw nothing wrong in Mrs. Jonathan’s war song. Today, he is of the opinion that he and his colleagues, haven lost the ‘war’, are being fed the bitter morsels of usually reserved for POWs.

    Shedding more light into the workings of his mind, Metuh, speaking for PDP as a party, said he feels the arrest are not unconnected with alleged corrupt practices by his party men while in office. And soberly, he only came short of begging the new administration to tamper justice with mercy.

    “We (PDP) are not afraid of the intimidation, harassment and arrest of our members by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, if the arrest is done within the confines of the law. If the ruling party believes that there is anyone who has served in the federal government and is guilty of corrupt practices, they are free within the law to investigate as long as they go through due process and observe the rule of law,”  he added.

    Well, while Metuh and his party men are entitled to their thoughts and admittances, his statements come across more like veiled fear of the known repercussion for some actions of the past. Is the PDP spokesperson saying his accused party men have soiled their hands and are prisoners of conscience? Is he indirectly soliciting the rights provided in the Geneva Convention for POWs?

    Well, it may serve them all better to simply come out and put their cards on the table. Who knows, clemency may be offered. At least, President is yet to arbitrarily send anybody to long years of imprisonment on allegations of corruption the way he did in 1984. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine.

     

  • 29 prisoners pardoned, 3,700 prisons officers promoted

    29 prisoners pardoned, 3,700 prisons officers promoted

    IT is a gesture the benficiaries are unlikely to forget. No fewer than 29 prison inmates in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been granted amnesty  by Minister of the Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed. The inmates’ sentences had an option of fine. Also, over 3,700 officers of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) have been promoted across the country.

    The prisoners had been serving in Kuje Medium Security Prison and the Suleja Prison.

    Mohammed, who was represented at the ceremony at Kuje Prison by the General Counsel of the FCT Administration, Mr Ima Okpongete, a lawyer, said the clemency was purposely designed to signpost the Ramadan season.

    The gesture, he said, is in tandem with the disposition of his administration to impact positively on the welfare of the people, particularly the less-privileged.

    In a statement issued by the Special Assistant, Media, Nosike Ogbuenyi, the Minister said he decided to grant the convicts amnesty by offsetting their various fines because he believed that many of them could still be reformed and contribute positively to the development of the society.

    He enjoined the beneficiaries of the gesture to permanently keep away from crime, so as not to return to jail. According to him, their freedom represents their last chance to chart a new path of orderliness, civility and good conduct as responsible members of the society.

    The prisoners were convicted with varying amounts of fines, ranging from N55,000 to N3,000.

    However, due to their lowly economic backgrounds, they were unable to pay the fines and had to be committed to prison. The Minister took the decision to grant amnesty to the prisoners following his recent inspection of the prisons to ascertain the condition of inmates as well as facilities on ground.

    In approving the unconditional release of the convicts, the Minister offset the total of N543,500 being the combined fines of the 29 affected prisoners.

    He also presented the sum of N10,000 to each of them to enable them transport themselves home.

    A breakdown of the amount shows that 10 prisoners whose combined fines totaled N149, 500 were released from Medium Security Prison, Kuje, while 19 others whose total fines amounted to N316, 000 were released from Suleja Prison.

    The Controller of Prisons, FCT Command, Gwagwalada Abuja, Mallam K.O Yusuf in a special letter of appreciation to the Hon. Minister thanked him for the kind gesture, which he described as special Ramadan gift for the affected inmates.

    He thanked the Minister for the cordial relationship existing between the FCT Administration and the Nigerian Prison Service.

    In his remarks, the Deputy Controller of Prisons in charge of Kuje Prison, Mallam Musa Tanko who spoke on behalf of the Prison Service, Kuje and the inmates, thanked the Minister for the kind gesture.

    He particularly thanked him for giving each of the pardoned inmates the sum of N10, 000 stressing that it would help them to start free life afresh. He urged the lucky inmates to ensure that they were leaving the prison confines for life.

    Also present at the event was the Director, Advisory Services, FCT, Mr. Abdullahi Kuyambana.

    Meanwhile the Controller General (CG) of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Ibrahim Zakari has said that the service is operating with other security operatives to avoid jail break.

    Zakari disclosed this in Abuja at the decoration ceremony of promoted officers and men of the NPS.

    His words: “You can be decorated or promoted if you exhibit a high level of diligences, hard work and dedication. They will be entrusted with higher responsibility; it means they will double their effort. They have to work harder. Their loyalty is to be complete. They must be obedient to their duties and they must accept responsibility.

    “Congestion is one of our major challenges in the prisons. We experience this with the Awaiting trial prisoners. This is because of the slow pace of the criminal justice system. But from our end we are building more cells in other to decongest the cells that we have. We are increasing our synergy with other security operatives to ensure that we experience speedy trial.

    “We are seeking the support of lawyers to assist us in this regard. Some of them do not have money.

    “Where you keep criminals under lock and key surrounded by walls they would want to escape. So in prisons all over the world we have the challenges of escape. We have armed squads guarding the prisons across the country. We are training staff. Promotion is a moral booster for officers and I hope this will ginger them.”

  • Prisoners to get free education in Niger State

    Prisoners to get free education in Niger State

    The Niger State government is to extend its free basic education and skill acquisition programmes to the inmates of the two prisons in Minna, the Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Danladi Abdulhammed, has said.

    He disclosed this on Monday to journalists in Minna after visiting the two prisons.

    He said the extension of the free education policy to the prison was to ensure that inmates have access to education in order to make them better citizens after serving their terms.

    “We believe that with education, their characters can be remoulded and that they are entitled to education irrespective of their character,” he said.

    Aside from the free education, Abdulhammed promised the inmates that government would soon provide sporting and ICT facilities in the prisons for to help them keep fit.

    The commissioner praised the wife of the state governor, Hajia Jumai Babangida Aliyu for positively impacting the inmates through her literacy and computer training programmes under her pet project, the Life Rehab Programme.

    The state Comptroller of Prison, Musa Mayaki, while conducting the commissioner round the prisons, told him that only 69 of the 292 inmates at the medium prison Minna were convicts.

    At the old prison Minna, Mayaki said the facility with holding capacity of 296 inmates, currently harbours 65 convicts and 280 others on awaiting trial.

  • Argentina seeks collaboration on prisoners transfer

    Argentina has urged the Nigerian government to embrace the current programme which allows prison inmates in the country to complete their term in their country of origin.

    Argentina Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Gustavo Dzugala, accompanied by the Deputy Head of Mission, Mr. Jose Maria Otegui Alvarez, made the appeal in Abuja when he visited the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, in his office.

    The ambassador said he was at the ministry to seek collaboration with Nigeria, sharing experiences in such a way that will bring a strong tie between the countries.

    He revealed that his country had embarked on a programme called ‘South South Cooperation’ which allow prisoners of affected nations to be transferred back  to their respective countries and complete their jail term, adding that his office had been working closely with the Nigeria Ambassador in Argentina to realise the dream.

    Responding, Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, who described Mr. Dzugala’s visit as timely, bemoaned the level of relationship between the two countries despite having so many things in common in term of multi-cultural heritage and diversity.

    He noted that the present administration through its transformation agenda had widen the scope of relationship with many countries for the benefit of its economic development, adding that the government was ready to establish partnership that will help the country to end child-trafficking and terrorism.

    Moro urged the ambassador to encourage Argentines to come and do business in Nigeria, assuring that government had taken desirable steps to ensure that peace return to all parts of the country.