This
is not a joke, but a real-life story. I still wonder how my family
members, friends and well-wishers would feel about my ‘ordeal’ inside
the Kirikiri Medium Security Prison in Apapa, Lagos.
In
fact, this write-up commenced in the Prison. All my life I have tried
to avoid any act or behaviour that would warrant me being sent to any
solitary confinement whether cell, house-arrest, guard-room, or prison
not to talk of the most popular (or is it notorious) Kirikiri Prison in
Nigeria.
In
the past and up till now, I deliberately try to avoid visiting offices
of friends whose mandates are to detain people even when,
professionally, I engage in crisis communication which involved relating
with security agencies.
Meanwhile,
I have also realised that the only person that could be sure of not
going to be detained either in cell, house-arrest or prison must surely
be the dead person in the grave. Influential leaders have been detained
and incarcerated at various times; some went to detentions straight from
highly powerful positions while others moved from detention centres to
privileged posts. Nelson Mandela, Shehu Shagari, Muhammadu Buhari,
Olusegun Obasanjo, Obafemi Awolowo, Wole Soyinka and even Sambo Dasuki
who had been granted multiple bails are very few of personalities that
have tasted state confinement and imprisonment, where their movement and
freedom were not only restricted but denied.
Sometimes
last year, I received an invitation by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an investigation of a company involved in
crisis management for the security sector. I felt embarrassed by the
reckless and baseless indictment of the firm by the controversial and
unceremoniously disbanded AVM Jon-Ode arms probe panel. I was
nevertheless treated with dignity by the anti-corruption agency without
being detained after providing necessary information on the issues at
stake. Meanwhile, as a man, I have always prepared for the worst
scenario in case of untoward eventualities.
Before
I give the reason for my journey into Kirikiri prison, I know for sure
that the right of prisoners in relations to physical integrity must have
freedom from arbitrary arrest. No matter the situation, I know that
potential detainees, by right, should be informed of the fact and
grounds of any arrest. In fact, victims of emerging professional
whistle-blowing enterprises deserve some respect because they are
innocent until proven guilty in competent courts.
I
must state that I had no hesitation when the Prison officials in Abuja,
insisted that I must be conveyed to Kirikiri Prison. I was flown to
Lagos and transported by a bus to the Prison in Apapa. I must also be
very sincere to state that I was neither maltreated nor harassed from
Abuja to Lagos even though we had flight delay.
At
the entrance to the Prison I became scared to the marrow when I read a
notice which stated that the Kirikiri Medium Security Prison was
overcrowded. On that day, March 1, 2017, it accommodated 3051 prisoners
instead of 1700 of its official capacity. More shocking was the fact
that 2627 detainees were not convicted by any court but they were
awaiting trial. Some awaiting trial inmates were immorally detained for
frivolous offence of fighting, walking at odd hours and petition
writings.
Rather
than conveying me straight to the cell, the officials at the Kirikiri
Prison took me to a barbing saloon where imprisoned barbers and trainees
provide the services. Next to the barbing saloon were tailoring and
shoemaking workshops where inmates were trained in the production of
clothes, shoes, bags among others. I learnt some religious bodies and
Non-Governmental Organisations purchase the items for sale outside the
prison yards.
At
another corner of the Kirikiri prison was a Library and a Computer
Centre where some inmates study for examinations. Some even graduated
with flying colours from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN),
I learnt. By conventions, further education is to be provided to all
prisoners while schooling of illiterates and young inmates are made
compulsory. Even though Prison is not a place for recreation and
relaxation, in this prison, there is a playground, a volleyball court
and table tennis facilities. Such recreational activities like sports,
music and other hobbies are by the same conventions required to be made
available in prisons.
Strange enough, I noticed
that most of the inmates were not malnourished but looked healthier than
I had thought. I suspect that they are probably offered better medical
examinations and treatments than it is imagined or believed.
While
being led towards the prison accommodation, the official said that by
law cells for individuals should not be used to accommodate more than
one person while communal cells should only house prisoners who had been
selected to share them. He added that all facilities should meet the
requirement regarding health, heating, ventilation, floor space,
sanitary facilities and lighting.
My
‘real ordeal’ inside the prison was how to convincingly inform my
family members and well-wishers that I was never arrested but was
actually on an official assignment and Special Tour of prison facilities
in Lagos with some media executives including editors, columnists,
broadcasters and journalists. We were being led and guided by the
spokesperson of Nigerian Prison Service (NPS), Francis Enobore and the
officer in charge of the Prison, Emmanuel Oluwaniyi.
As
a proof of the tour of the prison, I requested the spokesperson of NPS
to take my picture while standing at the Window of the Computer Centre.
He obliged. After the tour, we returned to our hotel for buffet and
attended a three-day workshop on prison reform organised by Prisoners’
Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA).
After spending nights in the hotel, I returned to Abuja without spending a night in the Prison.
Yushau A. Shuaib
(Publisher PRNigeria)
The link to the piece: http://yashuaib.com/features/yashuaib-inside-kirikiri-prison/
More pictures on the tour: https://www.flickr.com/photos/yashuaib/albums/72157679140013481
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