The Nation Newspaper

Tag: prisons

  • Why we handcuffed Metuh, by Prisons

    Why we handcuffed Metuh, by Prisons

    The Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) yesterday insisted that it was its right under certain situations to handcuff any inmate.

    NPS defended the handcuffs placed on the National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, when he appeared at the Federal High Court in Abuja, last Tuesday.

    Metuh is alleged to have received N400 million as part of funds meant for arms, from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014.

    The NPS said putting handcuffs was the discretion of the prison officer and in order because the service must prevent any security breach.

    Its Pubic Relations Officer, (PRO), Francis Enobore, who spoke with our correspondent, dismissed allegations by the PDP and its governors that NPS maltreated Metuh in a bid to play out a script orchestrated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said: “The use of mechanical restraints in prisons is as old as the institution and it’s determined by many factors. The officer studies the security situation and takes the appropriate decision to secure the inmate.

    “Part of the factors include disposition of the prisoner, security concerns along the route, court premises, mode of the relations or friends of the inmate, the security situation in the country, intelligence available to the officer and others.”

    “Note that the primary responsibility of the prisons is safe custody of inmates therefore, whether in the yard, on transit, in court or hospital the officer is bound to ensure that security is not compromised.“

     

     

  • Philanthropy at the prisons

    Philanthropy at the prisons

    A former governor of Anambra State Virgy Etiaba has provided food items and other daily needs to prison inmates in the state. NWANOSIKE ONU reports

    On the day she turned 73 former governor of Anambra State Dame Virgy Etiaba was with people behind bars, moving from Awka, the state capital, to Ekwulobia and Nnewi.

    Since her days as deputy governor and governor, prison philanthropy has been a ritual.

    Marking this year’s anniversary, Etiaba provided many items to the physically challenged at Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area. This was in addition to her gesture to the people behind bars.

    The items she gave to the inmates included 27 tins of vegetable oils, 17 tablets of medicated soap, 30 cartons of noodles, 78 bags of rice and 500 loaves of bread, among others.

    Etiaba, who left office as governor in 2010 christened her visit to the prisons “River in the Desert.”

    The inmates drummed and sang worship songs with special prayers.

    Two Assistant Controllers of prisons in Awka and Ekwulobia, Ejenam Chinedu and Paschal Ibegbunam said the prisons were faced with various challenges.

    These, according to them, included lack of water, petrol to power the generating sets, adding that the items also received from charitable organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and churches were not enough for the inmates.

    However, for Ejenam Chinedu, the workers in the prison are free prisoners, adding that they were in the same environment with the inmates.

    He said the prisons suppose to accommodate 414 inmates with 13 cells with each cell containing over 30 inmates, adding that some individuals, NGOs and churches especially Anglican and catholic, had started refurbishing the cells for the inmates.

    He said, “When they live in a conducive environment, their thinking and behaviour might change. Some other people had been coming to visit the prisons; the government has not bettered the lot of the people because of the economic crunch in the society.

    “Some are here not because they committed any offence, some are awaiting trial, whenever they are visited, they feel elated especially, the awaiting trial inmates, we have a river of gratitude to you Mama Anambra in the society.”

    Dame Virgy Etiaba, first former female governor in the country, and  mother of Emeka Etiaba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said,

    “Instead of spending my 73rd birthday with the rich, I decided to come to you because you are all my children.”

  • Switzerland to help strengthen prisons

    The Swiss government after several consultations with the leadership of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) has developed a human rights training manual and human right trainers guide.

    The manual, according to the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Eric Mayoraz is aimed at improving the system and modernize the operations of the NPS in the field of human rights.

    Mayoraz while presenting the manual to the NPS Controller General (CG), Dr. Peter Ekpendu at the formal launch said based on an overall training curriculum development by the United Nations (UN), office on drugs and crime.

    He said the manual will also help enhance the human resources capacity of the NPS so that the treatment of prison inmates would comply with international human rights law and UN standards and norms on the treatment of prisoners.

    His words: “In 2011, the Nigeria and Swiss governments jointly decided to strengthen their collaboration in the field of human rights consultations. Over the years we have been working closely together to building the capacity of NPS staff to comply with international standards in the treatment of prisoners. The Nigerian Prisons Service and Switzerland together with the implementing partner UCHEFEM consultants have successfully integrated and mainstreamed a stronger human right emphasis into the NPS training syllabus.”

  • Southeast governors reject transfer of Boko Haram suspects to Anambra

    Southeast governors reject transfer of Boko Haram suspects to Anambra

     

    Governors from the Southeast have condemned the relocation of Boko Haram suspects to prison facilities in the zone, particularly in Anambra state by the Federal Government.

    The Governors, who met on Sunday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, noted that the relocation of the suspected terrorists is already creating fear and security tension in the zone, especially around the state where the prisons are located.

    Briefing Newsmen shortly after the closed door meeting that lasted for about two and a half hours, the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, said that the Governors have deliberated on the possible consequences of the relocation of the Boko Haram suspects and concluded that it was not in the best interest of the zone.

    He said that even though the decision was purely a security matter, it has a far reaching effect on the psyche of the people in the zone.

    “We are appealing to the Federal Government to have a rethink on the relocation of the of the Boko Haram suspects. If there is any place they should be relocated to it should be Abuja where they have enough security. The issue is already creating security concern in the zone”.

    He however ruled out any plan by the Governors to recall the Igbo in the troubled North, stressing that, “we are all part of the entity called Nigeria and we share in the plight of our brothers in the North East, so it is not the issue of recalling the Igbo in any part of the country but to make sure that they are secured anywhere they find themselves”.

    The Forum according to him, also deliberated on the fate of the Igbo displaced in the North as a result of the insurgency and appealed to the Federal Government to adequately compensate them.

  • Prisons chief cautions drug merchants

    Prisons chief cautions drug merchants

    The Controller General of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Peter Ekpendu has warned drug merchants to steer clear of the prison yards and their environs.

    He also threatened to sanction any staff caught trafficking any prohibited items including hard drugs.

    He gave the warning at the drug abuse and preventive education programme held in Kuje Prisons.

    It is an annual event that involves series of activities organised by the Directorate of Health and Social Welfare for staff and inmates. The event aims at creating awareness on the ills of illicit drug use and abuse in the prisons.

    Speaking further, he said: “If the reformation mandate is to be achieved, prohibited drugs must be kept out of the prisons. And to achieve this, there are set standards that staff must comply with to prevent drugs from entering the prisons, know how to detect drugs that manage to enter into the prisons and what to do with the drugs once they have been detected.

    “It is a known and established fact that there is a correlation between illicit drug use, drug abuse and criminality and re-offending. Therefore programmes such as this, that sensitize inmates on the harmful effects of dangerous drugs and keep them engaged among other things, help in improving inmates’ physical and mental health, reducing relapses, recidivism, misconduct and criminality.

    “As prison officers, we must ensure that our jobs are done according to set rules and regulation, and that our prisons are kept free of illicit drugs. Let me sound a note of warning that trafficking in drugs, in and around the prisons yards will not be tolerated. Sale of all forms of illicit drugs in the barracks is hereby prohibited. Any prisons staff that compromise on this will be promptly dealt with. This would serve as deterrent to other traffickers.

    “I implore our dear inmates to stay away from illicit drug use and I urge you to take advantage of the various lectures and activities organized during this programme and also leverage on the numerous life changing educational and skills acquisition programmes available in the prisons to equip you for a better life after discharge.

    “I therefore implore each and every one of us to do all we can to corporate with the prisons service and help in making the prisons free of illicit drugs for the collective interests of both the inmates and the society at large because drug addicts are dangerous not only to themselves but to all who come in contact with them, bearing in mind that morally, drug addicts and traffickers set bad examples for other, especially, the younger ones.”

    Assistant Controller General (ACG), in charge of Pharmacy, Mrs. Kori Bah told Abuja Review that inmates are well taking care of and are educated on the bad effect of hard drugs.

    The ACG advised the inmates to stay away from drug especially those that are not prescribed by doctors.

    She disclosed that some of the inmates come into prison with the withdrawer symptoms of hard drugs.

    Her words: “We are educating prisoners about the use of drug abuse in our prisons. We have told them that using drugs without prescription is bad for them and it has bad effect on them. When an inmate is on drugs it is a bad example for others. Some have been getting this information and other are just getting more knowledge.

    “Generally people usually perpetrate criminal act under the effect of the drugs before coming into the prisons. They come in usually with the withdrawal symptoms of the drugs. We carry out this awareness across the country.”

     

  • Prisons officers lament promotion irregularities

    Some aggrieved officers and men of Nigerian Prisons Service who alleged irregularities in the just-released 2013 promotion exercise have cried out to the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro for intervention. They also urged him to prevail on the Controller-General of Prisons, the Civil Defence, Fire Service, Immigration and Prisons Board (CDFIPB) and the Nigerian Prisons Service to correct the irregularities that characterised the 2013 promotion exercise.

    The officers and men, who pleaded anonymity for fear of dismissal, alleged that names of many of them who were qualified for promotion were omitted, even when they were eminently qualified for promotion.

    They also alleged that those who were not qualified for the promotion interview and who were last promoted in 2011, were promoted. It was also alleged that some who did not write the promotion examination were promoted.

    They said: “Contrary to the service rule, some officers who were last promoted in 2009 and 2010 were dropped and those who were promoted in 2011 were again promoted. The law is that senior officers are qualified for promotion once they are up to three years on a rank. This is dependent on vacancies that exist.

    “The recent promotion was in 2013. Those officers who had their last promotion in 2011 were not eligible for promotion when some of those of 2009 and 2010 had not been promoted.

    “Any officer who had his/her last promotion in 2011 was not qualified to write the promotion examination. The reverse was the situation in Nigerian Prisons Service where the 2011 candidates were promoted to the detriment of those who are/were genuinely qualified for promotion. One expects the prison authority to have accurate records that will checkmate this kind of fraud.”

    Further buttressing their point, the source, who are among those allegedly cheated, said those on the ranks of Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Prisons who were promoted in 2011 were promoted to Chief Superintendent of  Prisons when they shouldn’t have been.

    “Prison job is a paramilitary establishment where rank matters. It is always a serious injury when one’s junior suddenly becomes one’s senior without genuine or proper process.

    “Somebody who joined the service in 1986 and obtained a degree certificate may be, in 1998, will be junior to a person who joined the service in 1991 and obtained a degree certificate in 2004,” they said.

    When contacted on phone for comment on the matter, former Controller of Prisons in charge of promotions, Amaechi Uzoigwe said such matters are directed to the Civil Defence, Fire Service, Immigration and Prisons Board (CDFIPB) which is competent to address any issue on promotion. He declined further comment on the issue.

    A member of the board, Alhaji Isah Umaru told our correspondent on phone that “anyone who is aggrieved over promotion matters should channel his or her grievances in a letter to the board through the appropriate authority for consideration.”

    However, a letter of complaint on the “2013 Promotion Omission” written by one of the aggrieved officers to the Director/Secretary, Civil Defence, Fire Service, Immigration and Prisons Board through The Controller-General of Prisons, Nigerian Prisons Service, Prisons headquarters, Abuja, through the Assistant Controller-General of Prisons Nigerian Prisons Service Zone ‘E’ headquarters, Owerri Imo State through The Controller of Prisons, Nigerian Prisons Service State headquarters, Owerri was made available to our correspondent.

    The letter dated August 11, 2014 reads: “I wish to bring to your notice the omission of my name in the 2013 promotion list. I joined the service in 1991 with the rank of Prison’s Assistant (PA). I participated in the promotion interview or examination which took place in Owerri.

    “My last promotion date was 2010. This means that I was qualified for the 2013 promotion. But surprisingly, I was denied the promotion. What baffled me was the inclusion of officers of 2011 promotion in the list of 2013 promotion. These officers who had their last promotion in 2011were not even qualified for the interview, let alone the promotion.

    “Sir, I plead that you use your good offices to correct this anomaly…”

     

  • Saving prisons from decay

    Saving prisons from decay

    Old. Decrepit. Overcrowded. Broken down. These are words that have been used to describe many of Nigeria’s 227 prisons. Some of those who have experienced them have described them as “a taste of hell”. And ordinarily, it should not be. Prisons are supposed to be for reformation.

    The situation could even have been worse but for the likes of the 20-year-old Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), a human rights organisation active in Nigeria and many other African countries. This organisation, since 1994, has been at the forefront of prison reforms. It provides psychological rehabilitation and medical intervention to victims of torture and prison inmates.

    Its Director, Dr. Ugo Agomoh, said: “In light of the prevalence of torture committed in prisons and in the course of police interrogations, we also carry out capacity building of healthcare departments in prisons, police officers and members of academia on the prevention and documentation of torture.”

    PRAWA, in 2010, entered into partnership with the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), the African Correctional Services Association (ACSA), the International Corrections and Prison Association (ICPA) and the Prisons/Correctional Services in the piloted countries. Through this partnership, the group started the Prisons Reform Interventions in Africa (PRIA) Project. This was a three-year project supported by the Dutch government in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The project promoted effective and sustainable prison reforms in Africa. It aimed to make the prisons comply with international human rights standards.

    PRAWA is involved in many other key projects, such as the Human Rights Training Integration (HRTI), designed to improve the awareness and observance of international human rights principle and good prison practices in Nigeria; Illegal Migration Awareness Project (IMAP), which purpose is to increase the awareness of Nigerian youths on the effects of illegal migration and positive life planning skills; Justice For All (J4A), which has the mandate to speed up criminal Justice in Enugu State; and the OAK Project, which is expected to stand up against the long-standing practice of torture.

    On November 5, PRAWA will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in Abuja with the theme ‘Transforming Public Safety and Security in Nigeria: An Integrated Vision for the Criminal Justice Sector’. The speakers will include the Chairman, National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (NHRC), Dr. Chidi Odinkalu; and the Executive Director, International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology, USA, Dr. John Gannon.

    PRAWA said: “This event is quite important because it does not only provide an opportunity for the organisation to review its activities; it also presents a platform for it to kick off its plans for the future. The organisation understands that any reform worth having must be comprehensive and sustainable. Hence, in coming years, PRAWA hopes to consolidate its work in meaningful ways by becoming: a reference point for social development intervention for crime prevention in Africa; a champion in building a critical mass of personnel and institutions in community corrections; and a leading resource centre for sustainable, social entrepreneurship research and social development models for both rehabilitative and crime prevention purposes targeted at youths, prisoners, ex-prisoners, and victims of torture.”

    The event will witness the launch of an Endowment Fund for PRAWA youths at risk projects; the Public Perception Survey Report on the Nigeria Criminal Justice System— an action plan for an integrated approach to security and justice sector reform.

    Dr Agomoh said that the organisation’s work in the sector underline certain areas in need of discussion. She questioned the achievements within the sector, especially when awaiting trial inmates account for over 70 per cent (and in some cases over 80 per cent) of the total inmate population in Nigeria. She added that the youths who are supposed to be the future of the nation, account for about 50-90 per cent of prison inmates in Nigeria. With about two-third of ex-prisoners re-offending, the highlighted issues are further worsened by the existing high level of recidivism, which places a question mark on the efficiency of society’s way of processing offenders.

    She also bemoaned the prevalence of torture and violence, but added that even in the midst of all these there are still reasons for stakeholders within the criminal justice to celebrate. Reminiscing, she stated that formerly, little or no free hand was given to NGOs within the prison sector, but now many government agencies are even extending invitations to NGOs as partners in the process of development.

    To date, the organisation has visited over 150 prisons and intervened in over 39 countries. From only two members of staff, it now has over 30. Dr Agomoh said the organisation has a strong interface with the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, with a designated desk at the office of the Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Places of Detention – a feat yet to be achieved by an NGO.

    Agomoh noted that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice is an important forum for victims of torture in the sub-region.

    She said: “It is very important for victims to be able to make themselves heard beyond their own legal system, as otherwise they may not have a remedy, for instance, in cases that are indefinitely delayed. The ECOWAS Court of Justice can provide an alternative forum for torture victims in Nigeria and elsewhere in the sub-region. It may also be easier for victims, especially female victims, to file a case against the State outside Nigeria because of their fear of reprisals by law enforcement agents and the absence of witness protection mechanisms in Nigeria.”

    She added: “Not many victims in Nigeria know that the Court exists, and lawyers are often not trained in seeking a remedy from the court either. Most legal representatives in Nigeria are not aware of the five different forms of reparation that can be requested when submitting a case on behalf of a torture victim to the court.

    “It is important for lawyers and others assisting torture victims to know that the court only decides on what the parties request. If the legal representative fails to request a specific form of reparation, such as rehabilitation, the Court will not award such reparation, even if it finds a State responsible for torture. This is a somewhat limited approach that fails to take into account the rights of victims to reparation under international law.”

    Head, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said Dr. Agomoh has done a lot to better the lot of prisoners in the country and beyond.

    He wrote: “Uju Agomoh, the Executive Director of one of Nigeria’s best known credible civil society organisations, Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action, has done a lot of advocacy activities around the issue of the illegality of prolonged detention of mentally challenged persons in the heavily dilapidated, derelict and decrepit archaic infrastructure we today call prisons in Nigeria. In several speaking events around Nigeria, Uju Agomoh, who is vastly travelled globally, has canvassed an end to the unconstitutional practice of detaining persons who are mentally challenged in the antiquated prison facilities in Nigeria that are lacking in medical and/or psychiatric facilities. Sadly, the political administrators heading the highly incompetent ministry of interior don’t give a damn about what to do to change this evil status quo.

    “Many years after, Agomoh kick-started her campaign to end the impunity of detention without medicare of persons afflicted with mental retardation, this tireless human rights advocate, may have finally got the institutional support of the Federal Government because a recently released 2012 prison audit report by the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria which was publicly validated by the National Assembly of Nigeria and other leading human rights stakeholders, disclosed that there are many persons that are mentally challenged who are detained in prisons across the country who ought not to be there in the first instance.”

    Agomoh and her likes still have a lot to do. Despite their efforts, the prisons still need more help.

    The 2012 prison Audit report paints a grim picture of the prisons. One sore point was the presence of mentally-challenged people. It shows that in the Northeast, four of 37 prisons had 20 mentally ill inmates. In the Northwest, there were 50 mentally-challenged; while in the Southsouth there were 79. For the Southwest, there were 121. 289 mentally-challenged inmates were found in the Southeast, with Enugu having 136.

    The sanitation is also poor. The report noted: “Though there is every effort by the inmates to keep the cells clean and tidy, the age of the infrastructure (some of these prisons were built in 1925) and overcrowding in some cells frustrated the effort. In most of the prisons, the water cistern toilets were broken and there was no water to flush after use in some instances. In some, they used the bucket system and that created a lot of stench in the cells. Some of the prisons where the bucket system of toilet is still in use are Gassol and Serti prisons in Taraba State, and Misua prison in Bauchi State; Otukpo in Benue State, Pankshin in Plateau State and Ilorin in Kwara State. In some other instance there exist sewage system, the sewage systems were either broken or filled up. The prisons also lacked basic toiletries like soap or disinfectants.

    “The UN Standard Minimum Rules on the Treatment of prisoners and other international, Regional or National laws have set a benchmark for the treatment of prisoners. In each of these human rights instruments, it is stated that prisoners are to be accorded with dignity and human being shall not be treated in a dehumanising manner, even when his/her freedom to liberty has be taken away by the instrument of law.

    “The standard of facilities in the Nigerian prisons are appalling, to say the least. Most of the prisons audited lacked facilities that would aid the wellbeing of the inmates as well as the reintegration of inmates back in the society after their release from prison.

    “The dignity of the human person is an inherent right. In Furtherance of that, the need to adhere to minimum standard in protecting the welfare of inmates cannot be overemphasized. Despite the fact that the inmates are legally deprived of their freedom of movement, their right to the dignity of the human person cannot and need not be compromised. Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), provides that ‘every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person’. Similarly, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provide as follows: ‘All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human persons’.”

    With this grim situation, PRAWA’s work is not done yet. Its life may just begin at 20.

    The country’s over 200 prisons play host to inmates who need help seemingly out of government’s reach. The Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), which is now 20 years old and others are helping out, writes OLUKOREDE YISHAU

  • Minister flays condition of prisons

    Minister flays condition of prisons

    •Five died in riot, says inmate

    Interior Minister, Mr. Patrick Abba Moro, yesterday said government had initiated efforts to tackle the worrisome condition of inmates in Nigerian prisons in order to meet up with international standards.

    He spoke during his visit to the Medium Security Prisons, Kirikiri in Lagos for its on-the-spot assessment and ascertaining the damages and the cause of the riot that rocked it last Friday.

    The minister said: “From the information made available, the immediate cause of the riot is that an inmate came unauthorised and installed some gadgets without the knowledge of the officials. What it meant therefore was that a convict, who brought in some gadgets, instigated the inmates to complain and that led to the fracas. But, the police and other security agencies have intervened and calmed down the situation.

    “More fundamentally, there is need for us to think about the level of freedom the inmates enjoy, especially compared to the level of international practices. The two gatherings representing the inmates are the chapel and the mosque. Christianity is Christianity, and in the world over, one worship ground is usually provided for the inmates. The prison services must review the institutions of worship in our prisons.”

    “What also comes to mind is the state of facilities in some of our prisons. It requires some level of rehabilitation. At the moment, we have the issue of congestion, and it is very unacceptable that we have a prison which is accommodating 2,536 inmates. Out of this number, only 98 are convicts. We have 2,434 inmates awaiting trial,” he added.

    “When we finish our assessment,” Moro noted, “we will be able to address the problem of congestion in our prisons. The president has approved an inter-ministerial committee for this. This is one committee that will come up with some solutions. We are working on that. We must have facilities that conform to international practices.”

    However, contrary to claims by the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) that only one person died during the riot, facts emerged yesterday that five inmates were killed.

    About 9.45 pm on Saturday, according to an inmate, “Five inmates were killed. It was not a jail-break, but a riot. The new Deputy Comptroller of Prisons (DCP) ordered that some of the things we used should be seized. These items included fan, generator, pots and others. But what annoyed us was that he also banned raw food in the prisons. This means our family members or anybody can no longer bring raw food for us. The type of food they cook in this place is bad. This is why most inmates cook.

    “We heard they said only one inmate died; it’s a lie! The person who said that is a liar! Let me tell you the truth, none of us planned to escape. And those killed were deliberately shot and not because they attempted to escape.”

    On Friday, guns boomed at the Kirikiri area, forcing those residing to scamper for safety. It was later discovered that inmates were rioting. Initial report however claimed that some inmates attempted a jail-break.

    The immediate cause of the Friday riot, a source said, was when a warder tried to seize a fan belonging to an inmate called “General Overseer.” The inmates, it was learnt, started chanting “we no gree ooo …we no gree,” following which the situation snowballed with the inmates pelting stones at warders and breaking glasses.

    The prisons’ authorities, the source said, were forced to bring in soldiers, who allegedly opened fire on inmates who allegedly attempted to escape.

    Fatinikun said a probe panel had been constituted to look into the cause of the riot, adding that seven inmates sustained injuries. Three, he said, were treated and discharged, while four were hospitalised.

    He revealed that an inmate died last Saturday morning, while three were still in hospital.

  • Re-Reforming the prisons

    SIR: Mr. Ojo Adetayo of University of Ibadan was sparse on words in his strident call for prison reform in The Nation of Monday, September 22.

    If truth must be told, our prison system is everything but reformatory. It is as if prisons are meant for penal and punitive measures alone. Whereas, prisons are a means to an end, they are oftentimes in our clime, treated as ends in themselves.

    Until prison reforms are carried out along the line of reformatory and transformation  trajectory, our criminal justice system shall continue to shirk in its role as instrument of social control.

    The time to act is now.

    • ‘Femi Oyedemi’

    The Polytechnic,

  • Reforming the prisons

    SIR; The Nigerian Prison Act 1972, spells out the goals and orientation of the Nigerian Prisons Service. They are charged with taking custody of those legally detained, identifying causes of their behaviour and retraining them to become useful citizens in the society. Prisons are essentially correctional and reformatory; they are not institutions for the dehumanisation of the confined.

    Also, a prison is not expected to be exactly a bed of roses as the inmates are there for penal purposes; neither is it supposed to be a bed of thorns and thistles meant to snuff life out of the inmates. For the 49,000 inmates in various Nigerian prisons, (29,000 of whom are awaiting trial, and the 856 on death row), hell cannot be worse.

    The sanitary situation is not only repulsive but frighteningly demeaning and exposes the inmates to health hazards as inmates are forced to excrete in buckets and stay with their excreta for days. Feeding is a luxury, bathing a rarity, recreation zilch, reformation non-existent and privacy a privilege. Hence, most inmates leave the reformatory frail, fragile and with one debilitating disease or the other.

    A terrible practice in Nigeria prison system is that our prisons cohabit those whose trials are still in progress and those whose trials have been decided, as a prison is for those whose judicial fate has been decided; in other words those who have been convicted while a jail is a transitional facility for those undergoing legal proceedings i.e. those awaiting judgment on their trial.

    Of the 227 prisons in the country, four out of five were built before 1950. The infrastructure is old and decrepit. Buildings used as workshops are inadequate and some prisons non-existent.

    A report by Human Rights Practice Commission for prisoner’s dignity, estimated that at least one inmate dies per day in the Kirikiri prison in Lagos alone. Dead inmates are promptly buried in graves on the compound usually without their families being notified. It is sad that claims like these are not investigated.

    The government should please look into the present state of our prison system. Obviously, more prison cells should be built. The private sector can make a change to the system through contributions for medical checkups of inmates on a regular basis, feeding programmes and even jobs for those who have served their terms and are back in the society. Families should also endeavour not to neglect their wards in prison but check on them regularly because some prisoners have testimonies of their wards not coming to visit even after several years in prison even with such families knowing where they are; others have regretted their actions and vowed to change ways because of the pains they see in their loved ones eyes each time they are allowed to visit.

     

    •Ojo Adelayo,

    University of Ibadan